Lily Potter and the Triwizard Tournament
by My Dear Professor McGonagall
Summary: In her seventh year, Lily Luna Potter sees the Triwizard Tournament played at Hogwarts for the first time in more than thirty years.
1. Hermione's Announcement

Chapter One

Hermione's Announcement

The garden of the Burrow was alive with chatter and laughter. Fairy lights floated in the air above the table as all the Potters and Weasleys relaxed, recovering from yet another of Molly's delicious dinners, this one a belated birthday celebration for Rose. The late June weather was perfect for sitting out under the stars.

The pinging sound of one of Molly's goblets being tapped with a knife rang through the garden at the Burrow. Hermione lowered her glass and looked around at the family, all of whom had all turned in her direction. She rose.

"I have something I'd like to share with you all," she said, looking nervous. Ron stared at his wife, frowning.

"You're not pregnant, are you?" George called from the end of the table. Everyone chuckled.

Hermione smiled. "No, I'm not," she assured them. Ron looked a little relieved. "I was told today that I have the authority to share this with all of you, as it involves all of us—in a roundabout way." She bit her lip. "In order to…attract publicity, and get the bid for the Quidditch World Cup to be played in England, the Ministry will be…they'll be playing the Triwizard Tournament again this year. At Hogwarts."

Molly's eyes widened. She reached for Arthur's hand and held it. Arthur's eyebrows contracted as he frowned, disturbed. For the most part, everyone else was muttering, with concerned, worried looks on their faces.

The only difference was Fred, who turned to Albus and James. "That's not fair!" he said indignantly.

Roxanne swatted her brother. "Shut up, you idiot! This is serious."

"Easy for you to say," Fred muttered. "You've got another year left!"

"It's not like any of us would be allowed," Lily hissed to her cousins. "Look at them all." She nodded to the family gathered around the table.

Percy looked livid as Audrey rubbed his arm, trying to soothe him. George had a worried frown on his face, and Angelina was glancing nervously at them all.

"Damn," Hugo breathed, leaning over to Lily on his left. "Look at your dad." James, Albus, and Lily's eyes all sought out Harry, sitting beside Ginny at the far end of the table.

Hermione seemed to have noticed his expression as well. "Harry?" she asked quietly.

Harry didn't move his eyes from the tablecloth, where he had been pointedly staring for several minutes. Rose, Molly, and Lucy, who sat on Lily's left, leaned forward, trying to see what was going on.

"Sweetheart," Ginny said in a low voice, putting a hand tentatively on Harry's shoulder. Still he said nothing, merely shook his head. Ginny looked up desperately at Hermione. "Are—are they banning under-seventeens?" She glanced nervously at the far end of the table, where Lily sat with her cousins and brothers.

"Of course," said Hermione quickly. "They'd never allow—"

"Because that worked last time," Harry muttered bitterly. Everyone stared at him, but he still didn't look up.

"Mate," Ron said, trying to catch Harry's eye. "Harry, this…this isn't like last time. You know that." He looked uncomfortably around the table. "It's not going to happen again."

Harry made a noise of disgust and stood. "Excuse me for a moment." He turned and walked into the house.

Ginny placed her napkin on the table, looked apologetically at her family, and rose to follow Harry.

Several moments of uncomfortable silence followed their departure. Hermione sat down, looking horrified with herself.

"Roxy," Arthur said. "Hugo, Lily?" All three looked at their grandfather. Arthur looked seriously at each of them. "None of you are to enter your names. Am I clear?" His voice was unusually firm. Roxanne opened her mouth to argue.

"Roxanne Marie Weasley, don't you dare," Angelina said threateningly. Roxy sat back, looking put out, but she nodded.

"Hugo?" Arthur asked.

Hugo shrugged. "I can live with that," he said. Fred, James, and Albus gaped at him, appalled and incredulous.

"Lily?"

"Of course," Lily said honestly. "Never going to happen. I promise."

* * *

><p>Hey! So here we go, this is my gigantic project finally begun. Many thanks to my wonderful beta, LVB, you are the best! Hope you all enjoy.<p>

Lucy


	2. The Hogwarts Express

Chapter Two

The Hogwarts Express

"You have everything you need?" Ginny asked anxiously, tugging Lily's sweater straight. Harry stood behind his wife, an amused grin on his face.

Lily sighed and nodded, adjusting her hold on Calliope's cage. The owl hooted softly. "_Yes_, Mum, I have all my stuff. Besides, you'll just send along anything I've forgotten, plus a lot of stuff I had no idea I needed," she said, placing her hands on her mother's arms. "I'll be fine, Mum. I can take care of myself."

Ginny smiled. "I know, sweetheart."

The whistle on the Hogwarts Express blew loudly.

"I'd better go, I said I'd show Luce where the prefect car is," Lily said, kissing her mother's cheek. "Bye, guys."

"Love you, sweetheart," Harry said as he embraced her.

"Bye, Dad, I'll see you soon." Lily smiled up at him. "I love you too."

"Don't forget to write and tell your brothers you arrived safely," Ginny said nervously, watching Lily step onto the train.

"Yeah, Mum! I'll write them!" Lily called, sounding slightly exasperated. Both of her parents, her mother especially, had been in a state of worry, unlike any Lily could remember, ever since her Aunt Hermione announced the Triwizard Tournament in July.

After his anger at Rose's birthday, Harry's attitude seemed to have improved. He was satisfied, at least, that Lily would not be entering the tournament—she had no interest. As for Roxy and Hugo—well, they _had_ promised Arthur. And with any luck, that would protect them.

Lily waved at her parents from inside the train, then turned to move down the car, but smacked right into Lucy. Calliope screeched, startled.

"Ow," Lily said, rubbing her forehead and looking up at Lucy, who held the hand of her boyfriend, Lysander. Though she was only fifteen, Lucy was a good five inches taller than Lily. "Hi, Luce."

"Sorry," Lucy said, biting her lip. She looked at Calliope, who ruffled her feathers and glared at her. "Are you guys okay?"

"S'All right. Come on, prefects' carriage is this way," Lily said, pointing down the car with her free hand. Lucy had just been named a Ravenclaw prefect, joining Lysander, who was a seventh-year with Lily and his twin brother, Lorcan.

"Actually, Lil, I think we're all right. We'll find it, " Lucy said, smiling at her cousin. "Go sit with your friends. I'm sure Roxy is doing something she shouldn't be," she added.

"Oh," Lily said. "Sure, okay. Well, just through those doors, and the next car," she said, feeling rather useless.

"Got it," Lucy said, squeezing past her.

"Thanks, Lily," Lysander said as he followed his girlfriend.

Lily nodded and turned back, hefting Calliope's cage more securely into her grasp. She began to hunt out the compartment where she and Hugo had left their trunks before he had departed for the prefects' carriage.

"Lily!" Henry Boot said, smiling as she slid open the door.

"Hey," she mumbled, dropping onto the empty seat between Roxy and Henry, another seventh year Gryffindor. Calliope ruffled her wings, so Lily stood again and put her cage on the luggage rack, popping a few Owl Treats from her pocket through the bars.

"Hi, Lil," said Andrew Wood from behind his Ancient Runes book.

"More late homework?" Lily asked, arching an eyebrow.

"Mmhmm."

Michael Malkin, another Gryffindor seventh year, who had very bad motion sickness, was already soundly asleep and snoring against the windowpane.

"Michael's out, then," Lily said. "Anyone else want a game of Exploding Snap?"

They played for a few hours, exchanging summer stories, but by the time the witch with the food trolley came along, the conversation had turned. Henry and Andrew had already heard about the tournament; it was, apparently, a very poorly kept secret.

"Probably Beauxbatons and Durmstrang, don't you think?" Roxanne said. Everyone murmured assent.

"Who d'you reckon will be the champion?" asked Andrew, scribbling the last few sentences onto his essay and rolling it up.

"A Gryffindor, of course," Henry said, studying his card very carefully. "It was a Gryffindor last time, wasn't it?"

"Hey now," Lily said reproachfully. "Don't forget Cedric Diggory. Two champions."

Henry shrugged. "Still, though, your dad counts. It'll probably be a Gryffindor again, too."

"Just as long as it's not a Slytherin," Roxanne mumbled.

"Wait a minute," Andrew said. "Aren't you entering, Rox?"

Roxanne glowered. "We've been forbidden. All three of us." She nodded at Lily and Hugo, who had just returned from his prefect duties.

Hugo stretched out on Lily's seat (Lily occupied the floor with Henry) and sighed. "Does it really matter? I mean, there's a pretty slim chance we'd get picked, anyway."

"Not exactly," Lily said thoughtfully. "There are seven of us Gryffindors who are of age, with maybe one or two sixth-years who could be old enough. There are only about eleven or twelve seventh-years apiece in the other Houses. Assuming we all entered—"

"Okay, Lily, we get it," snapped Roxy. "Still, I don't like to think what my mum'd do…"

"How would she find out?" Andrew asked.

"Uh, if Roxanne got picked as a champion, I'm pretty sure her mum would find out," Hugo said.

"Not necessarily," Andrew said. "I mean, if you don't get chosen, it'll be as if you never entered, and if you do…well, it's not like there's any way of getting out of it."

Roxanne leaned back, thinking. "That's true," she said. "Be pretty cool, wouldn't it? Winning the tournament? And it's not like we couldn't do it…"

Henry grinned. "Yeah, it would be."

Lily gave a great, fake shudder. "Aunt Ange would curse you into next year," she said warningly. Then she saw the determined look on Roxy's face. "I'm staying out of this," Lily announced. She leaned back on her hands. "You do whatever you want, but I'm not responsible for what Gran does _when _she finds out." She emphasized the word, raising her eyebrows at Roxanne.

Roxy rolled her eyes. "Hugo, what do you say?" she asked, leaning over Hugo on the seat next to her. "We could put our names in together."

Hugo shrugged. "I don't care, really," he said. He was far too used to Roxanne's dominating personality to allow her to order him around. "It might be really cool. I'll think about it."

"I swear, this family," Roxanne scoffed.

Andrew snorted.


	3. Professor Longbottom's Warning

Chapter Three

Professor Longbottom's Warning

"Where's Alice?" Michael Malkin asked, looking around the Great Hall for his girlfriend. "Her dad's up there," he said, nodding to Professor Longbottom at the staff table. The Sorting had not yet started, and throngs of people were scurrying out of the chilly air from the carriages through the large double doors.

"Dunno," Lily answered, standing on her tiptoes to see if she could spy her best friend. A third-year girl nearly knocked Lily over as she rushed past, trying to get to the Hufflepuff table.

"I'm here, I'm here," said a girl's voice, as two arms wrapped around Lily's neck. "Hi, Lil," she said, giving Lily a hug and flashing a brilliant smile across her round, sweet face. "Hi, boys."

Michael smiled widely at her, and Hugo gave her a big hug, but Andrew and Henry looked so hungry, they didn't seem to have registered her presence. Alice tucked herself comfortably against Michael and pecked his cheek. Her prefect's badge shone brightly in the candlelight, matching Hugo's.

"Come on, let's get seats, the Sorting's about to start," Alice said, hurrying into the Great Hall, dragging Hugo, Lily, and Michael with her.

The Sorting ceremony seemed particularly long this year, but that was perhaps due to the air of excitement that filled the hall—anyone who hadn't heard the news about the tournament certainly had by now, and everyone was eagerly awaiting the official announcement.

At long last, the Ravenclaw table cheered loudly as a very pretty little girl named Jane Wallace, the sister of a sixth-year Gryffindor, was Sorted into their House. Professor Flitwick stepped forward to remove the Sorting Hat and the stool as Professor McGonagall got to her feet. She looked the same as ever—sharp eyes, square spectacles, and tight, gray bun underneath her tall, pointed hat.

"Welcome, again, to our first years. We, the staff, hope you will feel at home here," Professor McGonagall said from the head table. "There are several important announcements to make this evening, but I believe you're all hungry, so—" she made a sweeping gesture with her emerald-robed arm, and the food appeared on the golden platters. Hungry students dove into shepherd's pie, treacle, baked fish, and mountains of other delicacies.

"How was the train ride?" Alice asked Michael, who tried to answer with a mouth full of chicken soup and ended up choking. Henry pounded him helpfully on the back.

Lily wrinkled her nose. "Fine. Everything here going well?"

Alice shrugged, flicking her short blonde hair behind her ears. "Looks okay to me, Dad and I spent most of the summer at the Cauldron with Mum and Cat." Catherine, Alice's sister, was a fifth-year Hufflepuff. "Do any of you know what this big announcement McGonagall's going on about is? Dad refused to tell me!" she said indignantly.

Henry's eyes widened. "You haven't heard? Alice, it's only, like, the biggest thing to happen here in thirty years!"

Lily rolled her eyes and stabbed moodily at her food. She was tired of her friends all going on and on about the stupid tournament, and it was only the first day back.

Before Henry could expand on his statement, Professor McGonagall, who had risen again when she saw that nearly everyone was finished eating, interrupted him.

"Well, now that you're all sufficiently fed," she said, "I have some important things to announce. First, I would like to remind you all that the Forbidden Forest is off-limits to all students. There is also a list of items banned in the corridors posted helpfully in all common rooms—I suggest you all take note. Finally, there will be no Quidditch tryouts this year, in light of a different, much larger event."

Henry groaned. "Come on," he said. "Get to it…" Lily glared at him.

Excited muttering broke out all over the hall. Professor McGonagall raised her hands for silence. "The Triwizard Tournament will be held this year at Hogwarts."

The muttering exploded into loud, excited chatter. Professor McGonagall's jaw was very tight, and Lily saw her exchange a glance with Professor Longbottom. The headmistress waited a few moments, then raised her hands again for silence, which fell quickly.

"I must tell you, first, that no one under the age of seventeen will be permitted to enter their name into the running for Hogwarts champion." Professor McGonagall swept her sharp gaze across the hall, silencing any protests. "Every precaution to prevent underage students from entering will be taken. The delegates from our guest schools will arrive on Friday, October the twenty-fourth, and the champions will be selected on Halloween. Students of age in every House are to address their questions to their Heads of House, with whom you will be meeting tonight, when you return to your dormitories." Her eyes lingered on Hugo, Roxanne, Lily, and Alice, seated together at the Gryffindor table.

Lily rolled her eyes. "What if we're not entering?" she asked Hugo. He shrugged, frowning up at McGonagall.

"She looks worried," he said after a moment.

Lily arched an eyebrow. "Of course she is! This whole thing is insane, the tournament's been discontinued twice for _good reasons_."

"No," Hugo said. "She's worried about _us_." He nodded to Alice and his cousins. Hugo always seemed to have an uncanny knack for understanding Professor McGonagall, who was his godmother, as well as his sister's.

Before Lily could look more closely at her face, Professor McGonagall released them all, and Lily left the hall, the cluster of her fellow seventh years following a few paces behind her. Hugo and Alice were shepherding first years with the other prefects, so she was left with Michael, Andrew, Henry, and Roxanne, all of whom were still talking about the tournament.

Lily didn't listen as she allowed her feet to carry her automatically towards Gryffindor Tower. She wasn't interested in being the Hogwarts champion, and she didn't think anyone else would want her to be champion either. She was a skilled witch, certainly, and fairly smart, but she didn't think she was exactly the best choice. Lily began to make a mental checklist as she walked.

Roxanne, who was tall, dominating, beautiful, and very good at magic, was perfect to be a champion. Privately, Lily thought that Roxy would break her promise to Granddad if she were aware what a good chance she stood to be selected—which, Lily thought, she probably was. Lily sorted her cousin into the "maybe" category.

Alice Longbottom would probably avoid entering. Alice was a fairly strong witch, but her lack of focus would stop her from being a good champion. She longed to be an Auror, but as Professor McGonagall had once told her, she would have to really learn to control herself if she wanted to realize that dream. Alice knew this, and had resolved herself to work hard this year in preparation for her training.

All the boys would enter, no doubt, except perhaps Hugo. He seemed disinterested; in all likelihood because he wanted to continue work with Professor Binns. He was compiling notes to begin his own book of magical history. Hugo was something of a quiet genius, as Gran called him. Still, he always managed to fit in well with the boys in his year, despite his incredible intelligence.

Of the others, Henry probably stood the best chance over Michael and Andrew. If Lily didn't know that both his parents were Ravenclaws, she would have said that Henry was descended from Godric Gryffindor himself. He was brave, charming, handsome, brilliant—and fully aware of it. All the girls wanted him and the boys wanted to be in his selective gang of friends.

Lily was friends with Henry, but had never seen the appeal. He was nice, sometimes, but more often than not he allowed his arrogance to show, and Lily could never stand the swagger. She preferred quiet, introspective personalities—more like herself, or—

A heavy body collided with her left shoulder, trotting hurriedly the other way. Her fellow seventh-year, Lorcan Scamander, looking a little lost and confused, seemed to have wandered with the Gryffindors more than halfway to their dormitory before realizing his mistake.

"Oh! Lily, I'm sorry," he said, looking startled to see her. "I didn't mean to. Are you all right?"

Lily smiled at him, rubbing her shoulder. "I'm fine, Lorcan, no problem. Did you follow the wrong line?"

"I believe I must have," he said in a tone of great surprise, "as Ravenclaw Tower is this way. I was thinking about this tournament—you'd imagine that after all that happened last time, they'd want to put a stop to it."

Lily shrugged and folded her arms around her waist, cursing her second cherry tart at dinner. "It has to be different this time, though," she said.

Lorcan stared at her for a moment. "I wouldn't be so sure," he said seriously. "The Ministry's not afraid of placing undercover agents in key positions for surveillance—this tournament would be the perfect cover-up for trying to establish control over the Hogwarts staff. You know they've been planning to cut the teachers' salaries? It's been all over the news."

"Oh," Lily said. "Sure." Lorcan got most of his news from _The Quibbler_, unsurprisingly, but he was generally a wonderful and charming boy, and one for whom Lily had carried a small crush since their fifth year.

"I'd better go, don't want to miss curfew," Lorcan said. "I'll see you around, Lily!"

"Bye," Lily called, watching him go.

"Potter, I swear, if your eyes get any bigger, we'll have a couple of new bludgers for the Quidditch pitch."

Lily felt herself go bright red and whirled around. It was Henry. Roxy and the boys, except for Hugo, were all chuckling. Lily threw them a look of deepest disgust and brushed past him without answering, following the rest of the House through the portrait hole.

"Henry, do you ever just shut up?" Hugo asked before trotting to catch up with his cousin. Henry wasn't listening, already laughing about something different with Roxanne.

When the younger students had been packed off to bed, Hugo, Henry, Andrew, Michael, Alice, and Lily along with Jocasta Kinsey, Kevin Wallace, and Charlie Creevey, three sixth-years who would have their seventeenth birthdays soon, stood in the common room with Professor Longbottom.

David Zimmerman and Alexander St. John sat with would-be casualness on the stairs of the boys' dormitory, straining to hear every word that Professor Longbottom said. Molly Weasley had long since gone up to bed, for her seventeenth birthday wasn't until June. Lily was sure she was lying awake in the dormitory that the seventh and sixth-year girls shared, waiting for the others. It seemed clear that she cared very little about this tournament.

Professor Longbottom ran a hand through his salt-and-pepper hair, looking harassed, and sat down in an armchair by the fire. His students followed suit, some dragging chairs, others sitting on the floor. Lily sat on the corner of the hearth behind Alice and Michael and leaned her temple against the mantle. Hugo sat beside her.

"All right," Professor Longbottom said, leaning back in the armchair. "I'm not going to play dumb here. Who's seriously considering putting their names into the Goblet of Fire?"

They all surveyed one another. Lily looked around to see if her guesses had been right. Slowly, hands went up. Jocasta, Kevin, and Charlie, of course…Henry, Andrew, Michael…Lily's stomach dropped. Roxanne had her hand up, and was determinedly avoiding looking at Hugo or Lily. Professor Longbottom frowned slightly at Roxy, and Lily wondered whether Aunt Angelina had spoken to Neville about her.

"Okay," Professor Longbottom said. "Well, there's not much I can say except, I'm the person you talk to if you have questions. And…" He seemed to struggle with what he wanted to say. Then—

"This is a very serious, dangerous tournament, and it must be taken seriously. I can't tell you not to enter, but I can warn you of that. I know that you're all very capable, and you'll have our support if one of you is selected. I only ask that you take the time to very carefully consider what you are doing. You have four weeks before the other schools arrive." He looked at each of them as he spoke, finally resting on Lily. "Don't take this lightly."


	4. Moon

Chapter Four

Moon

Lily woke before the other girls. She was privately thankful, and dressed quickly and quietly. She hated dressing in front of the others, especially Roxanne. Lily loved her grandmother, but she did not love that she, at seventeen, had Molly's short, "muscular" frame. That was the word Alice had used in their fourth year.

"Of course you're not fat, Lily, don't be ridiculous. You're just…muscular. It's not a bad thing."

Easy for Alice to say. She may have had her father's gentle, round face, but she was rail-thin and tall, nothing like her best friend.

Now, Lily stood in front of one of the mirrors between Jocasta and Roxanne's beds. She tugged her skirt down slightly, frowning at her appearance. She turned to the side and sucked in her stomach. Jocasta stirred, and Lily quietly tiptoed away, pulling on her black robes and stowing her wand in her pocket. She wrapped her red hair up in a bun, checked her reflection one last time, and left the dormitory.

She spent half an hour reading a forgotten _Daily Prophet_ in an armchair in the common room, waiting for Alice. When both she and Hugo finally arrived, they left together for the Great Hall.

"Aren't they ever going to stop with this tournament?" Alice asked as a crowd of Hufflepuff boys passed them in the doorway to the Great Hall.

"Not until the champion's chosen," Hugo said, dropping into a seat at the Gryffindor table. "We'll just have to put up with it."

"You're not entering, Hugo?" Alice asked.

"I've got other things I need to take care of this year," he answered, sprinkling salt on his eggs. "I'll support the champion, but I don't need to break my word to my parents."

"Look, can we just drop it?" Lily snapped. Alice and Hugo stared at her. "None of us are entering, right? Let's just ignore it. It'll be annoying enough trying to get through the next few weeks."

"Merlin, Lily," Alice said, putting a hand on Lily's arm. "Calm down."

"Sorry," Lily grumbled. "I'm just tired."

"Morning, you three," Professor Longbottom said, carrying a stack of parchment as he walked down the table. "I've got your timetables." He kissed the top of Alice's head.

"Dad," she groaned. "People are watching."

Lily grinned at them both. Neville and his family were regular fixtures in the Potter household, and though none of them would ever admit it, Lily, Alice, and Cat were as attached to their fathers as they could be.

"Here you are," Professor Longbottom said, passing them each their schedules. "And you two," he said, nodding to Alice and Hugo. "Take these and pass them out." He handed them the rest of the stack, the timetables for the younger students, and walked over to the sixth-years, who had to be cleared for their N.E.W.T. subjects.

Alice and Hugo moved down the table, and Lily examined her schedule. Hugo and Alice were in four of her classes. This morning she had Arithmancy, Potions, Herbology, and Transfiguration, followed by Defense Against the Dark Arts and Astronomy after lunch. She sighed, mentally kicking herself for taking so many classes because she hadn't decided what career path she wanted.

Still, they were fun and interesting. And, as she examined her schedule, she realized that her afternoons weren't that crowded. Mondays were far too full, but the rest of the week was much more bearable. She smiled, glad that Arithmancy was her first class.

Lily was the only Gryffindor in her Arithmancy class of just twelve seventh-year students, most of whom were Ravenclaws. It was the only class she had ever beaten Hugo in, something that made her privately proud. After breakfast, she said goodbye to Hugo and Alice and hurried to Professor Vector's classroom on the third floor.

Kelemon Corrigan, Delia Smith and Edward Jenkins, the three Hufflepuffs in the class, were already sitting in the room. Professor Vector was one of the few teachers who allowed her students in the classroom before she got there, presumably because she knew each of her classes so well. Lily smiled at Kelemon and her friends, but sat a row in front of them; they were discussing the tournament.

Danielle Zabini, a pretty Slytherin girl, strolled into the room, examined the seating arrangement, and picked a desk far from the others, arching an eyebrow at Lily before opening her bag to find her book. Lily rolled her eyes and tugged out _Numerology and Gramatica_ from her own bag, along with a quill, inkpot and a sheaf of parchment.

The Ravenclaws were the last to arrive. Hanna Butler, Elspeth Collins, and Samantha Hill were all chatting loudly about their summers, followed by Antonia Francis and Christopher Donahue, whom, Lily noted, seemed to be a couple yet again. Short, skinny Erasmus Helfer trailed after his best friend. He didn't look it, but he was an amazing Beater for the Ravenclaw Quidditch team.

Finally, Lorcan Scamander wandered in, absently perusing a folded-open copy of the _Quibbler_. His blond hair dangled in his eyes, but he didn't seem to notice until he nearly walked into Danielle Zabini's chair. She made a sound of annoyance and Lorcan looked up, quite surprised to have found himself in the classroom already.

Lily caught his eye, smiling hopefully at him. Lorcan grinned and came to sit beside her.

"Hello, how are you, Lily?" he asked, reaching into his bag.

"Fine, thanks, Lorcan. What's new?" Lily nodded towards his magazine.

Lorcan's expression clouded. "It seems that this tournament isn't just a simple publicity stunt," he said seriously. "The Ministry is using it to cover—well, here, look for yourself." He tossed her the magazine, and Lily turned it to the page Lorcan had been reading.

Unsurprisingly, the article discussed yet another Ministry plot, this one a cover-up of an underground flying carpet import business. Lily raised her eyebrows.

"Is your granddad sure about this, Lorcan?" she said, trying not to sound as skeptical as she felt. Lorcan didn't seem to notice.

"Of course! Didn't you see? There was an inside source," he said. "Well, all I can say is that I won't be entering. I refuse to take part in such lies."

"Oh, _you_ won't be entering, Scamander? There's a real shock," said Danielle, shaking back her hair. "What about you, Potter? Think you've got the guts? I certainly do," she added, her gaze lingering on Lily's middle. Lily flushed pink just as Professor Vector walked in.

"Good morning, everyone," she said, placing her bag on the desk. "Books open to three hundred and forty, please. We're starting on numerology in alchemy."

Lily was positively exhausted when she left her Astronomy lecture that afternoon. She already had a mountain of homework, but sensed that she would not be doing any of it tonight.

"Long day?" Alice asked with a grin as they met up in the corridor. She had just finished her second free period of the day. Lily opened her mouth to answer, but was interrupted when someone knocked into her from behind, causing her to drop her bag. Her books spilled everywhere, and as she bent to start picking them up, she heard a loud peal of laughter.

"Had a nice summer?"

Lily looked up into the unwelcome faces of Andrea Moon and Danielle Zabini.

"I hear you won't be entering the tournament with the rest of us," Andrea said in a tone of feigned disappointment. "That's too bad, I was looking forward to embarrassing you and your cousins when I'm chosen for champion. Then again," she added, "where would the contest be? I mean, part of the requirement is that you have to be able to do magic…" she nudged Lily's Arithmancy book with her toe, her pointed face wrinkled in disgust. "All I see here are a Squib's daydreams."

Lily's eyes narrowed. "I'm not a Squib, _Andrea_, and I'm not afraid to prove it." She stood and pulled out her wand.

"Ah, ah, ah," Andrea said, tapping her Slytherin prefect's badge, blue eyes glinting cruelly. "Not in the hallways, now, Lily." Her lip curled, and she pushed past Lily.

"I hate that girl," Lily growled, picking her things up. Alice gave her two textbooks, which she tucked into her bag.

"Ignore her," Alice said bracingly. "Come on, let's get dinner."


	5. The Schools

Chapter Five

The Schools

The first few weeks of classes proved busy enough to lessen the feverish talk of the tournament. Hugo and Lily had their shared eighteenth birthday in the second week of October. Lily adored her gift from Alice, Roxy, and Molly, who teamed up to purchase her a beautiful set of peacock-blue dress robes, to be worn at the Yule Ball. She gave Hugo a first-edition copy of _Hogwarts, A History_, which she had found in secondhand shop in Diagon Alley while shopping for the new school year. Her parents sent her a beautiful necklace, a small golden phoenix with a ruby in its tail.

Best of all, Lorcan Scamander remembered her birthday, and in Potions class bestowed upon her a pair of bright orange earrings shaped like radishes. "I thought the orange would look nice with your eyes," he said. "My mother makes them."

Lily blushed and smiled at him. "Thank you, Lorcan, they're lovely," she said, ignoring the snickers of Andrea Moon, who sat behind her with Danielle Zabini. Lily was so distracted by Lorcan's gift that she nearly caused a minor explosion in her Alihotsy Draught.

"Miss Potter, really!" Professor Patil cried, quickly dousing the flames and stopping the fumes spreading from the ruined potion. "Pay attention! The Hysteria Draught is not something to be careless with. Five points from Gryffindor."

"I'm sorry, Professor," Lily said, fully aware that Andrea and her Slytherin friends were shaking with silent laughter directly behind her.

As Lily packed her bag at the end of class, Alice and Hugo waiting patiently for her by the door, someone brushed past her, knocking her things to the floor.

"Squib," hissed Andrea as she and her friends sauntered past. Lily reached for her bag and crammed her book into it, hurrying past Hugo and Alice on her way out of the dungeons.

October was stormy and cold, but Lily, Alice, and Hugo found as much time as they could to visit Hagrid on Friday afternoons. Lately, it seemed, Hugo had gotten into the habit of disappearing in the evenings, leaving Lily and Alice alone without so much as a hint about where he was going. As a result, the girls took to studying in the common room with the rest of the Gryffindors, rather than going to the library with Hugo as they used to.

"No, Molly, you need to use seven ounces of dragon claw, not nine," Lily said, squinting at her cousin's Potions essay.

Molly looked up at her, scowling. "Don't you have your own homework?" she asked, mildly exasperated.

"Sorry," Lily said, shrugging. "Patil's fussy about stuff like that, she must have gotten at me about it a thousand times before the O.W.L., took me ages to learn all of it."

"Well, find something else to do besides picking through my stuff!" Molly snapped.

Lily raised her eyebrows. "Sorry, I didn't mean to upset you."

Molly exhaled, but didn't answer. Lily glanced at Alice, who shook her head knowingly and nodded over at Charlie Creevey, who looked equally annoyed as he flipped through a library book at a study table in the Gryffindor common room. Rain pounded the windows. It had been raining on and off for the entire week.

"Can I have your attention, please?" Professor Longbottom was entering the portrait hole. He held up a piece of parchment as everyone in the common room looked up at him.

"This Friday, the delegates will be arriving from Beauxbatons and Salem Witches' Institute," he said. "All students are to—"

"Where?" Henry Boot asked from the boys' staircase.

"The Salem Witches' Institute," said Professor Longbottom, "is an American girls' school of magic in Massachusetts. They've been in operation for nearly four hundred years."

"What happened to Durmstrang?" asked a fourth-year girl named Angela Watts.

"Durmstrang isn't the only other school of magic out there," Neville said with a grin. "Their headmistress didn't feel that they should participate in this tournament, and the Salem Institute was asked to step in. Now," he continued. "All students are to report to the entrance hall on Friday night at six o'clock sharp. Classes will end after lunch, and we'll have a feast to welcome our guests at seven-thirty."

There was an outbreak of excited muttering at the prospect of classes ending early. Professor Longbottom marched over to the announcement board and pinned up the parchment he carried with him, then left the common room. As he did, he collided with Hugo, who was just barely making it in before curfew.

"It's late, Hugo," he said, frowning.

"Sorry, Professor, I got held up."

"Don't let it happen again," Professor Longbottom told him. He left the common room.

Hugo dragged himself over to where Alice and Lily sat by the fire, collapsing onto the carpet.

"Where've you been?" Lily asked, leaning over him.

"Library," he muttered, not opening his eyes.

Lily smiled. "The library closes at eight," she said, nudging him. "Been meeting your secret girlfriend?"

"No, Lily," Hugo said in a resigned voice. "I just lost track of time."

"That's the fourth night in two weeks you've nearly missed curfew," Lily said, dipping her quill in the inkpot she and Alice were sharing.

"Lily, drop it," Hugo barked, glaring up at her.

Lily blinked, feeling rather foolish. "Sorry," she said quietly. She ducked her head and returned to her Arithmancy chart.

Two nights later, all the Gryffindors traipsed together after Professor Longbottom, who led them through the entrance hall and onto the lawn, where they were lined up by year. Mercifully, it had stopped raining, but it was very cold. Alice, Michael, Hugo, and Lily huddled for warmth, waiting for the arrival of their two guest schools.

Next to the Gryffindors stood the Hufflepuffs, with Professor Macmillan at the head of their line. She looked lovelier than she ever did in her Transfiguration classes. On their other side were the Ravenclaws with little Professor Flitwick, in his best robes. The only House not present was Slytherin. Before long, however, Professor Sinistra led her students down the steps to join the rest of the school. They lined up beside the Gryffindors.

"Lovely to see you, as always," Andrea hissed at Lily as she lined up next to her and Alice. "How's my favorite Squib?"

Lily clenched her jaw, but didn't look at Andrea or her friends. Alice squeezed her arm.

Professor Macmillan came along the lines, stopping any further exchange. "Miss Corrigan," she said, pulling Kelemon from the line of Hufflepuffs. "The Head Girl and Boy are going to stand with Professor McGonagall. Come along."

Professor McGonagall was walking down the front steps of the school. Kelemon and Christopher Donahue met her in front of the lines of students and Heads of Houses. The other teachers took their places in a line behind the students. Lily waved to Professor Shacklebolt, the sweet, smiling Defense teacher, and felt a heavy hand descend onto her shoulder. She looked up and grinned at Hagrid.

"How are yeh?" he asked.

"Fine," Lily said. "You?"

Hagrid nodded. "Bin weeks since any of yeh came down fer tea. Wan' ter come down next week before the selectin'?"

Lily smiled. "We'll be there."

"Quiet, please!" Professor McGonagall's voice rang out over the muttering crowd. A glowing silver light caught Lily's eye, and she saw the ghosts lined up on the steps of the castle. "Our guests will be here any moment."

"How are they getting here?" Alice whispered.

"Dunno," Lily said, shifting her weight. Her feet were beginning to go numb.

"Look!" Someone in the crowd cried out, pointing across the lake, and everyone looked up. A gigantic shape was floating silently over the water, descending lower and lower. It glowed a strange red in the moonlight, and as it drew closer, Lily recognized it as a hot air balloon. This balloon, however, was much, much larger than the average hot air balloon; it could have been filled with several large boulders. It also seemed to be dragging a large house where it should have had a basket, and there were no flames keeping it afloat.

Lily braced herself to feel the weight of the balloon drop onto the lawn, but it glided smoothly onto the grass, barely causing a ripple. Nothing happened for a moment, as the ropes creaked and the balloon swayed in the breeze. Then, the door of the small building opened, pouring light across the lawn.

A tall man with gray hair came striding out of the building, closely followed by about a dozen girls.

"Professor Bishop." Professor McGonagall smiled courteously. "Welcome to Hogwarts. You're welcome to step inside and warm up, if you like," she said. "We are still awaiting Beauxbatons."

The headmaster laughed. "You mean we crossed the Atlantic and still managed to get here first?" Professor Bishop was a loud, jovial man, but he seemed to be very nice. His eyes were kind, and his smile genuine.

Professor McGonagall gave him a small, thin-lipped smile, and gestured to Professor Flitwick.

"This is my deputy headmaster," she said. "He'll be glad to show you to the Great Hall. We'll be joining you shortly." Professor Flitwick stepped forward, smiling broadly.

"Right this way," he said in his squeaky voice. The Salem Institute girls and their headmaster began following Professor Flitwick. Lily watched them go, envious. It was freezing outside. Another ten minutes passed, and just as Alice began to positively shake with cold in Michael's arms—

"Beauxbatons has that carriage, right?" Hugo said, pointing up above their heads.

As he spoke, a first-year shrieked, and everyone looked up. The huge, powder-blue carriage drawn by gigantic winged horses was circling, and landed gracefully on the lawn. The door, emblazoned with the Beauxbatons crest, opened slowly, and a short girl with dark skin and long hair jumped out, followed by ten or eleven other students, all in the same blue robes.

Then, a very large woman, whom Lily realized could be none other than Madame Maxime, emerged. She had white hair and spectacles perched on the end of her nose, but looked very much like the woman that Harry had told Lily about. Madame Maxime swept forward to greet Professor McGonagall.

"Madame Maxime," Professor McGonagall said. "It's a pleasure to have you here at Hogwarts again. Please, come inside."

"_Merci beaucoup_, my dear Professor, we are very 'appy to be 'ere, " Madame Maxime replied. She waved her arms at her students. "Allez, allez." She followed Professor McGonagall.

Lily stood on her tiptoes to watch the line of Beauxbatons students scurrying into the castle as Hagrid walked around the lines of students and took hold of one of the team of pegasi, leading them down the lawn to the edge of the forest. He and Madame Maxime exchanged a smile as they crossed paths, and Lily and Alice grinned at each other.

Slowly, guided along by the teachers, the pack of Hogwarts students began to trail after their guests, still huddling close to one another for warmth.

Once they were in the Great Hall, they found the Salem girls sitting at the Ravenclaw table, where the Beauxbatons students joined them. Madame Maxime and Professor Bishop joined the Hogwarts staff as they continued to the head table, and took places on either side of Professor McGonagall.

The Hogwarts students filled in their tables. Lily sat down between Alice and Henry, across from Hugo, and waited for Professor McGonagall to begin the feast. Her insides ached with cold and hunger. As she sat, impatient, Alice elbowed Lily, nodding over to the Ravenclaw table.

"Who's that?" she asked. "Do you know her?"

Lily looked around. A girl from the Salem Institute was staring at her, but quickly looked away when Lily saw her. She had dark, almond-shaped eyes and long, shiny black hair that caught the light. There was a spray of freckles across her nose and forehead.

Lily frowned. "No, I've never seen her before," she said. The girl glanced up at her once more, and then looked away again.

"Weird," Alice said. "She seems to know you."

After dinner, Professor McGonagall got to her feet. "Your attention, please," she called. Silence fell throughout the hall, and the air was alive with excitement. "It is time to bring forth the Goblet of Fire. It will decide which champion will represent their school in the tournament. Professor Hagrid, if you would?"

Hagrid, who had been standing in the corner for several minutes, came to the center of the staff table, bearing a large casket, which he set before Professor McGonagall.

The headmistress aimed her wand at the casket. It opened slowly, revealing the simple wooden chalice that burned with a blue fire. A murmur of wonder wove through the Great Hall.

"Next Friday evening, on Halloween, we will be joined by the head of our Ministry's Magical Games and Sports Department, Cormac McLaggen, as well as Hermione Weasley, the head of the Department for International Magical Cooperation. At nine o'clock precisely, the Goblet will make its decisions."

Lily thought she might have heard a small quaver in Professor McGonagall's voice, and glanced down the table at the other six Gryffindors. Roxanne and Henry were both staring at the Goblet with the same hungry look in their eyes. Hugo drummed his fingers absently on the table, looking disinterested.

Andrew Wood had one fist clenched on the tabletop, his eyes alight with anticipation. She couldn't see Michael's face, but his posture indicated that he was very interested in what was going on. Alice looked back at her, feigning a yawn, and Lily smiled.

"Any student over the age of seventeen who wishes to submit their name and school may do so now and all throughout the week," Professor McGonagall said. "I will be drawing an Age Line around the Goblet tonight. It would be very unwise for you to try anything to cross it if you are underage. For now, that is all. Off to bed!" she called.

As Lily began to climb the stairs, closely followed by Alice and Michael, Alice caught her wrist. "Lily, look!" she whispered, jerking her head over her shoulder.

The same girl from the Salem Institute was staring at her as her classmates filed out the door before her. This time, when Lily met her gaze, the girl didn't look away.

"Who _is_ that?" Alice demanded.

"I don't know," Lily answered. She finally broke eye contact with the strange girl, following Alice up the stairs, deeply disturbed by the girl's burning gaze.


	6. The Goblet of Fire

Chapter Six

The Goblet of Fire

The next week flew by. In every class, Lily found at least three people in her year that had entered their names into the Goblet, or were thinking of doing it. She was beginning to feel annoyed at all the chatter.

"What does it matter, if you just drop your name in the stupid thing?" she burst out angrily one evening in the common room. "The only thing I care about is if you get picked to be the champion, then maybe I'll be impressed, but you know what? Anyone can write their name on a bit of parchment and drop it in a cup. Pretty simple."

This immediately followed Henry and Andrew, who had spent a quarter of an hour explaining every detail of their trek to place their names in the Goblet. After that, most of the other Gryffindors tried not to talk about the tournament in front of Lily, fearful of another outburst.

By Thursday, twenty-six of the forty seventh-years in the school had entered the tournament, including all ten Slytherins. This was a source of great annoyance to Henry and Roxanne, who had not given up their tournament chatter. That night, the two of them came in just minutes before curfew, grinning broadly and looking immensely pleased with themselves.

Lily glowered at them as they came and sat on the hearthrug. "What have you done?" she asked Roxanne. Her cousin didn't answer right away. By now, Molly had come over and Alice had sat up in Michael's lap, staring at the two on the floor.

"Just evening the odds a little, Lils," Henry said.

Lily rolled her eyes and she sighed, exasperated. "Why am I not surprised?"

"I put my name in," Roxy crowed, looking positively delighted. "The Slytherins may outnumber us, but with me and Henry in there, those snakes don't stand a chance!" Lily shook her head, returning to her Arithmancy book.

"Are you mental?" Molly shrieked, startling everyone. Lily looked over her shoulder at her younger cousin, who looked furious. "Your mum—"

"My mum," Roxy told her, "is either never going to find out, or never going to be able to stop it. If I'm picked, I have to compete, that's the rule."

"Try competing when Gran's come after you with a Bat-Bogey Hex," Molly said darkly. "Aunt Gin learned it from somewhere."

"Oh, please," Roxy said, stretching out on the rug. "The family's just nervous because they don't get it. What happened with your dad was an accident," she told Lily. "I'm not exactly walking around on anyone's hit list. Besides, I'm only going to make them proud, in the end."

"You're a great, stupid, selfish prat, Roxanne." Molly's voice was dangerously soft.

Roxanne sat up, narrowing her eyes at her cousin. "Am I?" she asked.

"Yeah," Molly said. "You don't know your limits, and now you're going to get yourself into trouble. You don't mind that you've just broken your word to your family, all you're worried about is making yourself look good—"

"Because I'm the only one who seems to care what our family looks like at all!" Roxanne yelled. At this point, all heads in the common room were facing the argument at the fireplace.

Molly folded her arms. "What is that supposed to mean?" she asked.

"Look at you all! None of you care if the last heroes in our family were our parents!" Roxy cried. She jerked her chin at Molly. "You wouldn't enter, even if you were old enough. Hugo's not even here, Lily's practically a—well," she gestured at Lily, seemingly lost for words. There were several beats of silence.

"I'm a what, Roxanne?" Lily asked quietly, clutching her book very tightly.

"What? Nothing," Roxy said dismissively, trying to focus on Molly.

Lily dropped the book on the floor. "You were going to say Squib, weren't you?" She had never hated someone in her family before, but now she rose to her feet and stared at Roxanne, shaking with rage as tears filled her eyes. Blood pounded in her ears.

"No," Roxy said, going white. "No, Lily, I'd never—"

"DON'T LIE TO ME! WHY SHOULDN'T YOU CALL ME NAMES?" Lily yelled. Roxanne stepped back. "THOSE SLYTHERINS DO! HALF THE SCHOOL DOES, WHEN THEY THINK I CAN'T HEAR THEM!" she screamed, tears now pouring down her cheeks as she whipped out her wand, which shot white sparks and singed a hole in the rug. She was still shaking with anger, and everyone had taken a few steps away from her, but Lily moved closer to Roxanne, backing her up to the mantle.

"Good luck with your tournament," she spat. "I won't be cheering for you." She turned on her heel, heading for the portrait hole. "Besides," Lily said suddenly, turning back to face her cousin's stunned expression. "Why would you ever need a Squib's help?"

And with that, Lily marched out of the common room, ignoring Alice, who was shouting her name.

It had not occurred to Lily that it was well past curfew. Should Mr. Filch catch her out of bed, there was a week's detention to be had at least, but she didn't care. All that she knew was that she would not go back to Gryffindor tower until she was certain that Roxanne was asleep.

So what if she liked subjects like Potions, Arithmancy, and Astronomy? Certainly, they weren't classes that required wands at all times, but how did that mean she was a Squib? And how, _how_ had Roxanne come to think that she was? Did all of her cousins call her names behind her back?

Maybe she didn't measure up to the others in her family, but she worked hard to be as good as she could be, and now…all she could think about was that no one cared. No one cared if she worked hard, they cared if she could show off, with explosions and clouds and sparks.

The Slytherins in the year had called her a Squib for as long as she could remember, because it had taken her longer to develop as a witch. But then she had passed her O.W.L.s with flying colors, was well on her way to doing the same with her N.E.W.T.s, and yet the name-calling still burned her. And now she knew the truth. Her family thought of her that way, too.

The injustice made tears well again, and spill down her face.

"Lily?"

She snapped her head up, only to see Hugo standing a little ways ahead of her in the corridor. He looked tired, but concerned.

"Are you okay?" he asked, stepping closer.

Lily nodded, not meeting his gaze. "Where have you been?" she asked.

"Library," Hugo told her, placing a hand on her arm.

"Hugo, stop _lying_!" Lily snapped, startling him. "It's not a big deal, wherever you're going, and none of us care. But I can't take one more person lying to me."

Hugo's eyes narrowed. "It's got nothing to do with you, Lily," he said. "Leave it alone."

Lily felt tears prick her eyes again. "You don't talk to me anymore, or Alice, or anyone. You just sit and read, or you're off at these secret meetings. Where did my best friend go?"

"Lily, you can't expect me to be around you all the time, for every little thing," Hugo said angrily. "I'm not always going to be there to help you out once we graduate, and it's time you started to understand that."

Lily stepped back, stricken.

Hugo rubbed his face. "Look," he said. "I'm really sorry, Lils. I just—"

"First Roxanne, now you," Lily muttered, staring at the floor. "Why does everyone think I _need_ them so damn much? I don't depend on you for every little thing! I don't need any of you!" she shouted.

"Lily," Hugo said, putting his hands up to touch her shoulders. His brown eyes looked fearful as he kept watch on her wand, still clutched in her hand. "Come on, it's—"

"No!" Lily snapped. "I'm not going anywhere with you. That's what you want, right? Do things alone? Fine. Go have a nice chat with Roxy, and Henry, and the others who have never stuck up for me."

With that, she shoved past Hugo and ran before he could try to catch up. Her feet seemed to know where to carry her before her brain did, and in a few minutes, Lily found herself at the door to the Great Hall. The eerie blue light of the Goblet's flames flickered on the walls, casting shadows that made Lily jump. She walked slowly up the aisle between the House tables. No one was around, and all she could hear was the sound of her own footsteps and her heartbeat in her ears.

She stopped, some ten feet away from the Goblet. Did she really dare? _Roxanne did it_, she told herself. Who really could say that Roxanne was a better witch than Lily was? She was tired of it, tired of feeling inferior to her cousins, her parents, her friends, even her brothers. She loved James and Al, of course, but…they had always had everything come easily to them, just like her cousins.

Lily was just "Al's little sister," "Roxy's cousin," "Alice's friend," and "Harry Potter's daughter." She'd had to work so much harder at everything she did, and now that she was finally getting better, it wasn't worth a thing. None of them cared. She got a pat on the head and then stepped back into her family's massive shadow.

On an impulse, a mad desire to prove everyone wrong, Lily felt through her robes for a bit of spare parchment, procured one, and tapped it with her wand. _Lily Luna Potter, Hogwarts_ appeared across it in her hand. Then, she stepped forward, crossing the Age Line with ease, and extended her hand above her head to drop the parchment in the Goblet.

The Goblet sparked and hissed, but accepted the offering. Lily stepped back, feeling a sudden thrill. _May the best witch win_, she thought. And for a brief moment, she had a flash in her head of herself, winning the tournament and being cheered by the entire school. She was beloved, celebrated, and an amazing witch without her family. She'd proven that she truly didn't need any of them.

It was very late at night when Lily returned to the common room. The embers of the fire were just dying out, but she wasn't tired. She was still alive with adrenaline, having narrowly escaped Filch's watch three times. She sank into an armchair, shaking at the thought of what she had just done.

Quickly, Lily poked her head up and checked the common room. It was empty. She sat back and tucked one leg beneath her, watching the cinders burn out their last orange lights. Then, slowly, she smiled to herself. She felt bolder, stronger than she had in her whole life. She pulled her wand from her robes, twirling it between her fingers.

* * *

><p>Hope y'all are liking it!<p>

Lucy


	7. The Champions

Chapter Seven

The Champions

"Lily?"

Someone was gently prodding her shoulder. Lily stirred, finally opening her eyes. She looked up into Alice's worried face.

"Thank Merlin you're okay," Alice said with a sigh of relief. Lily looked around. People were leaving the common room in groups—the early morning light streamed through the window. Alice was already dressed for the day.

Lily looked down at her clothes, the same ones she had worn yesterday. "What time is it?" she asked sleepily. Her voice was scratchy and dry.

"Half past seven," Alice said, checking her watch. "I don't think you'll have time to change."

Lily sighed, annoyed. "I'll just come back here after lunch before I go to Hagrid's." She tugged her hair out of its disheveled bun and let it fall to its full length, at the middle of her back.

Alice reached into her bag and retrieved a small brush, passing it to Lily. "I'll come to Hagrid's, too," she said quietly, searching Lily's face. Lily's jaw tightened. Alice hadn't exactly been on her side last night.

"Unless you don't want me to," Alice said quickly. "I just…look, we're friends no matter what, right? Come on, I _need_ you, Lily. You're my best friend. I don't want you to hate me."

Lily softened, starting to tie her hair up again. She gave a small smile. "All right," she said. "Come with me to Hagrid's." She handed back the hairbrush, but Alice didn't put it away.

Instead she reached for Lily's bun, gently tugging it free. "It's time for a hairstyle change, Lily-girl," Alice said. "You look positively wonderful this morning, and you need to flaunt it." Lily laughed.

Alice brushed Lily's wavy red hair into a lovely frame around her face, then raised her eyebrows as she examined her best friend's face. "Releasing pent-up emotions does wonders for your skin," she said.

Lily laughed again, wrapping an arm around Alice, and the two of them went down to breakfast together.

Most of the other students were already finishing breakfast when Alice and Lily made it into the Great Hall. Everyone was chattering loudly, glancing up at the Goblet of Fire, as though hoping it may render its decisions early. Lily smiled as a fourth-year boy trotted past the table with a new friend, a tall Beauxbatons girl with dark hair and a sweet smile.

"Have you entered your name, Melanie?" he asked excitedly. He practically had to jog to keep up with the girl.

"Oui, I did," Melanie answered in a thick French accent.

"What are you smiling at?" Alice asked as she spread jam on a muffin. "I thought you were sick of all this tournament stuff."

Lily shrugged, but didn't answer. She and Alice wolfed down some breakfast and scurried off to Charms. On the way up the stairs, Lily heard someone shout her name, and turned around. Roxanne was hurrying up the steps after her. She looked exhausted, as though she hadn't slept all night.

Lily felt her expression harden. "Yes?" she asked, folding her arms.

"Lily, I'm sorry," Roxy said without preamble. Dark circles ringed her green eyes, and her dark hair looked lank and dirty. "I didn't mean to hurt your feelings, really." She put out one hand to reach for Lily's arm, but Lily withdrew quickly.

"But you still meant to say what you did," Lily said. "Not good enough, Rox, sorry." And she turned and hurried up the stairs.

"Lily!" Roxanne called. Lily turned again at the top of the stairs. "I…you look very nice today," Roxy told her, throwing her arms up in desperation. Lily shook back her hair, nodded once, and left for Charms.

Classes flew by that morning. In each one, she would hear her classmates talking about how and when they entered the tournament.

"My mum was so excited," Hanna Butler told one of her Ravenclaw friends in Charms. "She says if I'm picked, she and Dad'll try and get the judges to let them come to all the tasks."

"Thought I wasn't going to get around the Age Line," said a Hufflepuff sixth year during break. "With my birthday being just last week, but it was no problem," he added with something of a swagger.

Lily found that as the day wore on, a knot of worry in her stomach seemed to grow larger and larger, so that by the time she arrived in Arithmancy, just before lunch, she looked positively green, and Professor Vector sent her to the hospital wing.

Lily, however, did not go to the hospital wing, instead sinking down onto a staircase not far from the classroom. She buried her head in her hands. What had she been thinking?

She'd been thinking she was a better witch than she really was, she told herself. She felt suddenly dizzy, and put her head between her knees, trying not to vomit.

"Calm down," Lily said aloud. "It's not going to happen. You have nothing to worry about."

"Miss Potter?"

Lily looked up, only to see Professor McGonagall. The headmistress appeared to be going in the direction of her office. She wore dark green robes and looked immaculate as always, carrying her walking stick. Lily got to her feet and faced her.

"Why aren't you in class?" Professor McGonagall asked, her dark eyebrows furrowing.

"I—I was on my way to—to the hospital wing," Lily stammered. "I have a headache."

"I'm sorry to hear that," the headmistress said, though she didn't look convinced.

"I'll be fine," Lily said quickly, starting to edge around her. "I'll just…go see Madam Pomfrey, then."

"Lily," Professor McGonagall said suddenly. Lily turned and faced her. "Is there something else bothering you?"

Lily hitched a wide smile on her face and shook her head. "Of course not, Professor." McGonagall frowned, and Lily was sure that she didn't believe the story.

"Your aunt will be arriving here soon," McGonagall told her. "She'll be in my office before the feast, if you would like to see her."

Lily's eyes widened. "I—I have plans to visit Hagrid—I'll see Aunt Hermione later. Listen, I should really try to get back to class."

Professor McGonagall nodded, and Lily practically ran from her. "She can't know what I did, she can't," Lily muttered to herself. By now, she truly was feeling sick, so she walked to the hospital wing. When Madam Pomfrey had given her some Pepper-Up Potion and allowed her to leave, Lily had already missed lunch, but ran into Alice on her way out of Gryffindor tower.

"Are you okay?" Alice asked, frowning. Lily nodded. "You don't look good at all."

Lily scowled. "Thanks. Can we just go?" She yanked her hair up, away from her face. Her neck felt hot and sweaty, and she didn't want the thick weight on her shoulders anymore.

Alice tried to talk to Lily the entire way down to Hagrid's, to no avail. Lily tried hard to listen to Alice, but found that she couldn't hold her attention in any one place. The clouds were rolling in, and it would probably storm tonight, but for now they were far away, tinted gray and blue in the fading light. The sun was just peeking through in a few places, playing on the surface of the water and illuminating the castle windows and turrets. Lily was startled when she realized that they had walked all the way to Hagrid's house. Alice stepped forward and knocked.

"Jus' a minute," Hagrid called from inside. The girls heard the familiar, eager barks of his mastiff, Cassius, and smiled at each other. "C'mon in, 's fine!"

Lily pushed open the door. Hagrid stood by the fireplace, holding Cassius' leather collar. The dog was beside himself, trying to get to the girls for proper hugs and kisses. As soon as Alice shut the door, Hagrid let Cassius go. The huge dog promptly leapt for them both, slobbering them and nearly knocking Alice to the ground. She laughed and let Cassius lick her face as Lily moved over to Hagrid. He gave her a tight hug, nearly knocking the wind out of her.

"I got rock cakes," Hagrid said, pulling a tray of his pastries from the stove and laying them on the table. "Nice 'n fresh." He shook his shaggy, graying beard back and sank down into one of the chairs at his table. Alice and Lily joined him, Cassius climbing into the vacant seat next to Lily and resting his head in her lap, promptly falling asleep.

"Where's Hugo?" Hagrid asked, frowning. "Wasn' he comin' with yeh?"

Lily clenched her teeth. "Change of plans, he…was busy," she told him. Hagrid seemed satisfied.

"Brigh' boy, tha' Hugo," he said. "Like 'is mum." Hagrid smiled. "Yer an awful lot like yer parents, all'a yeh," he added. "Good, hardworkin', hones' kids, an' yeh always take care of each other."

Alice smiled. "Thanks, Hagrid."

"How are classes going?" Lily asked, wanting to change the subject. "I hear Molly's been helping out with the younger ones."

"Ah, Molly's great!" Hagrid said. "Don' know what I'd do without 'er. She's gonna be a ruddy brillian' Healer one day, you mark my words. Helps me take care o' the thestrals, even rounded up twenty-five nifflers all by 'erself."

Alice grinned at Lily, who, for some reason, felt a twinge in her stomach. The knot of anxiety still had not dissipated, and with Hagrid's comment about Molly, it seemed to swell. Lily didn't speak much as the sun went down, but the time seemed to fly.

At a quarter of seven, Hagrid consulted his pocket watch. "Best be goin' on up to the castle. Don' wan' ter miss yer last Halloween feast! An' we'll fin' out if Michael's our new champion," he said teasingly to Alice, who blushed.

When they arrived in the entrance hall, they said goodbye to Hagrid, who headed for the staff table, and Lily and Alice waited for Michael, who was hurrying down the steps. Lily was ashen. Her face was clammy, her hands frozen.

"Lily, are you sick?" Michael asked as they sat down.

Lily shook her head, but didn't dare open her mouth. _What have I done, what have I done_…Aunt Hermione caught her eye from the staff table, where she sat between Madame Maxime and Professor Patil, and waved. Lily smiled half-heartedly, raising her hand, and sat with her friends. Hugo, Roxanne, Henry, and Andrew sat a few seats away, but Lily paid them no mind, instead retreating into her own bubble of apprehension.

"I think it's gonna be Henry," Michael said glumly to Alice, halfway through dessert. Lily looked up at him, clinging to her hope that anyone else would get chosen. She wasn't sure she could take the stress of not knowing much longer.

"Don't be silly," Alice said, comforting him. "You've got just as good a chance as he does, Michael. Right, Lily?"

Lily nodded. "Of course," she said hoarsely. Then she returned her gaze to her treacle tart, which she had not touched. _You won't be picked, you won't be picked, you won't be picked_, she kept repeating to herself. _You're not as good as Roxy or Henry, you're going to be fine. You won't be picked_.

Lily looked up at the Ravenclaw table, aware suddenly that someone was watching her. It was the same, strange girl from the Salem Institute with the dark eyes and hair.

A clinking sounded across the hall. Professor McGonagall had gotten to her feet. "It's nearly time," she said. "In another few moments the Goblet will make its decisions." The Great Hall was quiet. Food disappeared from the golden plates silently. All eyes were on the blue flames of the Goblet.

_You won't be picked, you won't be picked, this'll all be over in just a minute._ Lily was starting to feel better. She looked at the other tables and saw the confident faces of Danielle Zabini, Christopher Donahue, and Kelemon Corrigan. Henry Boot had puffed himself up, looking ready to march up and take his place with the champions.

Hermione got to her feet and walked around the table, her navy-blue robes swishing around her. "Champions, when your name is called, please go through these doors to my right, and wait there for myself and Mr. McLaggen to greet you and give you your instructions."

At the mention of his name, Cormac McLaggen half-stood and gave a small wave, which no one acknowledged. Hermione checked her watch, and then looked expectantly at the Goblet.

Without warning, the flames began to hiss and shoot sparks. They turned bright red, and ejected a fluttering bit of parchment, which Hermione caught and handed to Professor McGonagall.

"The Salem Institute champion," she called, "is Miss Amanda Morgan."

The end of the Ravenclaw table, full of Salem girls, erupted into cheers, while the rest of Hall politely applauded. The girl with the shiny black hair who had stared at Lily got to her feet, looking thrilled, and hurried down the aisle. Hermione pointed her through the door to her right, just as the Goblet's flames burned red once again.

Professor McGonagall caught the parchment this time, and nodded. "For Beauxbatons, the champion is Miss Melanie Chevalier." There was more applause, as the tall girl whom Lily had seen earlier strode to the front of the hall, quite proud. The applause died down again, and the entire castle seemed to hold its breath, waiting for the Goblet to turn red.

Lily couldn't hear anything over the roar of her own ears, her eyes fixed on the Goblet. _It's Roxanne, it's Henry, it's Andrea Moon, but it's not me. It's not me. I'm fine. I made a stupid mistake, but no one's ever going to know about it. Oh, Merlin…_

The Goblet shot red sparks into the air, and Professor McGonagall reached out for the parchment. Lily closed her eyes. Professor McGonagall read a name, and the hall erupted into applause. Lily sighed in relief. It was Henry, of course it was Henry. Perfect, wonderful, brave Henry, and she was safe—

Lily opened her eyes again and looked around, raising her hands to clap for the Hogwarts champion. No one was applauding. She wondered why the hall was so eerily quiet. The teachers all seemed astonished. Professor McGonagall was very white. She held out the parchment and called the name for the second time.

"Lily Potter."

There was still no applause. Everyone was silent. Lily sought out her aunt, standing not far from Professor McGonagall. Hermione had quite the same pallor as the headmistress.

"Lily Potter," Professor McGonagall said again. Her voice sounded stronger. "Come up here, please, and join the other two champions." The flames of the Goblet went out, and cold flooded Lily's body.

She forced herself to stand, feeling her knees shake beneath her. Alice, who seemed to have recovered somewhat, began to applaud, elbowing Michael and throwing looks at the other Gryffindors. Slowly but surely, they began to clap as well. The noise filled Lily's head as it began to echo throughout the Great Hall, and she started to walk unsteadily down the aisle. When she reached the front, Lily stopped before Hermione, who looked shocked and upset.

"Through the door, sweetheart," Hermione said, very quietly. Lily nodded once, and took a step forward but found herself overcome with dizziness. The room spun, and she fainted onto the cold stone.


	8. The Hospital Wing

Chapter Eight

The Hospital Wing

"Lily," said a gentle voice. "Lily, wake up."

It had all been a dream. A terrifying, nerve-wracking nightmare, but it was over. She was going to wake up in her dormitory. That was Alice, trying to get her to wake up in time for class. Lily grumbled and put one hand over her eyes, grinning at Alice. Then, a different hand caught hers. Lily opened her eyes, and recognized the high, vaulted ceilings of the Hogwarts hospital wing.

Slowly, she looked around her and realized that she had not been dreaming at all. Gathered around her bed were Professor McGonagall, Madam Pomfrey, Professor Longbottom, and a tearstained Alice, clutching a white-faced Hugo's arm. Roxanne, Molly, and Lucy stood just behind Hermione, who sat immediately on Lily's right, holding her hand. Madame Maxime and Professor Bishop stood in the doorway, looking worried.

"Hi, sweetheart," Hermione said, gently stroking Lily's hair. "Are you feeling better?"

Lily sat up, slowly. She felt very foolish. Her head spun a little, but she managed to stay upright. "I think so," she said. She looked at Lucy, who was biting her lips nervously. "Hi, Luce," she said with a smile. Everyone seemed to relax after that, satisfied that she was not going to faint again.

"I believe we'll give you a moment," Professor McGonagall said, looking pointedly at the others gathered around the bed. Neville nodded and took Alice and Hugo gently by the shoulders. Alice smiled at her, and Hugo gave a small wave, but flushed red and looked away quickly.

One by one, Lily's cousins murmured their goodbyes and filed out of the hospital wing. Roxanne didn't meet her gaze at all, hanging back while the others hugged Lily. When she was the last person left, Roxy opened her mouth to say something, but seemed to think better of it and settled for patting Lily's shoulder awkwardly. Lily gritted her teeth and didn't look at Roxy.

Professor McGonagall and Neville went to join the visiting teachers, where they began a quiet, but fervent conversation in the corner. As Lily watched, Cormac McLaggen appeared, joining into the huddle. The other two champions followed him. This left Hermione, who moved to sit beside Lily on the bed. Lily dropped her gaze once again to her interlocked fingers in her lap.

"Lily," Hermione said, her tone serious. "Look at me."

After several long moments, during which Lily felt tears sting her eyes, she looked up into her aunt's face. Before Hermione could say anything, however, Lily began to sob.

"I'm so sorry," she cried. "I don't know what I was thinking! I knew it was stupid and foolish, but I didn't think the damn thing would pick me!" Lily flung her arms around Hermione's neck. She rubbed her niece's back in small circles.

"Lily, I'm not angry," Aunt Hermione said after a few moments of Lily's tears. Lily sat back, wiping her cheeks. "I'm worried, sweetheart, and very surprised at you, but I'm not angry." She was quiet for a moment as Lily tried to catch her breath. "So, you entered yourself?" she asked. "You're positive?"

Lily nodded, eyes brimming with tears again, but she wiped them away. "Last night, after curfew," she said.

Aunt Hermione arched an eyebrow. "What were you doing—never mind," she said waving the matter away. She shrugged. "That's good, in some ways. It means we know that no one's trying to hurt you." Lily shuddered.

"It's bad, because…well," Aunt Hermione made a face that plainly spelled danger on its way.

"You told Mum and Dad," Lily said, her eyes widening.

"Of course I did. They'll be here tomorrow," Aunt Hermione said.

"Are they taking me home?"

Aunt Hermione shook her head. "There's no way for them to stop you competing," she said, running a hand through her hair. "The Goblet chose you, we can't turn it off or break the magical contract."

"I promised them," Lily whispered, dropping her head into her hands. "I promised, I promised…"

Aunt Hermione said nothing, and both were silent for several minutes.

"Well, onward and upward, Pix," Aunt Hermione said, using the family nickname that Teddy had bestowed upon Lily as an infant. Lily looked up at her. She was standing, tugging her robes straight and speaking in a very businesslike tone.

"What?" Lily asked.

"You've got to compete, there's no getting out of it. No matter what the extenuating circumstances were, and I imagine that there are," Aunt Hermione added, looking shrewdly at her, "you entered your name into the Goblet of Fire, and it chose you. That makes you Hogwarts champion. Congratulations, sweetheart." She gave her niece a small smile.

Lily's mouth fell open. "You're kidding, right? I can't be the champion! I wasn't supposed to enter, I can't do this!"

Aunt Hermione started to say something, but was interrupted. The teachers had returned to Lily's bed with Madam Pomfrey.

"Hermione," Professor Longbottom said. "We've got an unused room in Gryffindor tower, you can stay there."

Aunt Hermione smiled. "Right, Neville, thanks." She reached for Professor McGonagall's arm. "I'll see you in your office tomorrow morning," she said. The headmistress nodded. "Ginny and Harry will be here at nine. Lily, you're to be there at nine-thirty. Your teachers and I are going to speak to them first." Lily gulped, and Hermione planted a swift kiss on her forehead. On her way out, Hermione stopped at the doorway, exchanging a brief conversation with Mr. McLaggen. Then she and Neville left the hospital wing together. Hermione

"Perhaps now I can examine Miss Potter?" asked Madam Pomfrey, exasperated. She clearly had been restrained while Hermione had spoken with Lily, but now Professor McGonagall stepped aside.

"Let us know when you're finished, Poppy," she said before rejoining Professor Bishop and Madame Maxime, who stood with their champions and Cormac McLaggen.

Madam Pomfrey leaned in front of Lily. "Follow the wand tip," she said, moving it back and forth. Then she took Lily's wrist and consulted her watch. "Feel all right? Any dizziness?" she asked.

Lily shook her head. "I'm not dizzy anymore."

"Are you hungry, thirsty?" Madam Pomfrey asked. Lily nodded. "When was the last time you ate?" Madam Pomfrey checked her temperature.

"I had…a bit of toast, this morning, I think," Lily said.

Madam Pomfrey clucked her tongue. "You're staying here tonight," she said. "I'm getting you some food from the kitchens, and then you're getting plenty of rest. You'll be free to go in the morning."

"Thank you," Lily said meekly. The matron's expression softened somewhat, and she patted Lily's shoulder gently.

"Headmistress," Madam Pomfrey called. "You may speak with her now." She set off down the ward for her office. Professor McGonagall nodded briefly and gestured for the others to follow her.

Melanie Chevalier, Amanda Morgan, and the four adults came to where Lily sat on the bed.

"Ladies," Professor McGonagall said, moving behind Lily. "This is the third champion, Lily Potter. Miss Potter, meet Miss Chevalier and Madame Maxime, Miss Morgan and Professor Bishop."

"Enchantèe," Madame Maxime said, as Professor Bishop shook Lily's hand. "You look vairy like your parents, mademoiselle," Madame Maxime told her. Lily blushed.

Melanie's eyes were wide. "Potter?" she asked. "You mean—"

"Melanie, taisez-vous," Madame Maxime said. She looked at Lily. "Pardon, my dear." Lily gave her and Melanie a brief smile.

"Nice to meet you," said Amanda, extending her hand, which Lily shook, feeling a little wary. "Glad you're feeling okay."

"Thanks," Lily said.

"Well, ladies." All three girls looked up. Cormac McLaggen rubbed his hands together, looking eager. "Congratulations! This is very exciting. We've never had three witches as champions, so this will be an historical tournament. I'm just here to give you a short introduction. There will be three tasks throughout the year, and I, along with Madam Weasley and your professors here," he gestured around him, "will be the judges for each task. The first task will take place at eleven o'clock in the morning on Friday, November the twenty-first. It will remain a secret until that time. This gives you almost exactly three weeks to collect your thoughts and begin training on your own."

Lily gaped at him. Training? Oh, Merlin. She was in far, far over her head. Then she caught sight of Melanie and Amanda, who looked perfectly calm, and Lily shut her mouth, feeling Professor McGonagall's hand on her shoulder.

"If none of you have questions…" Mr. McLaggen looked among the champions and their teachers, then clapped his hands together again. "Good! In that case, I believe we can leave Miss Potter to rest. Good luck, ladies," he said, giving a half-bow before turning on his heel and leaving the hospital wing. Lily

"Olympe, Balthazar, I would like a word with Miss Potter, and then I believe I should like to retire for the evening, unless there is anything you wish to discuss with me. Please feel free to do the same," Professor McGonagall said to the other teachers. They both smiled and shook their heads, and they and their champions all proceeded to leave the hospital wing.

Professor McGonagall came to the side of Lily's bed and looked down at her. Lily reluctantly met the dark, sharp eyes. The headmistress sighed and looked away, absently touching a hand to her gray bun, as if confirming that is was still in place. Then she turned back to Lily.

"Well, Miss Potter," she said. She gave Lily what could have been a very small smile. "Even if it didn't happen intentionally, you are our champion. You have your classmates' support, and the teachers'. I know you'll make everyone very proud." She paused for a moment, as if trying to decide what to say next. Then, awkwardly, Professor McGonagall bent and gave Lily a very stiff, formal hug, and quickly straightened up again. She cleared her throat. "I shall see you in my office tomorrow morning. Get some rest."

Lily nodded, feeling rather taken aback as she watched the headmistress go. Even in all her years of visiting and birthday parties, Professor McGonagall rarely hugged anyone, even Rose and Hugo. Madam Pomfrey came over with a tray of food and some pajamas for her, so Lily quickly changed behind a screen and got into bed.

She ate the chicken sandwich that Madam Pomfrey had brought for her and eagerly drank four glasses of water before the matron allowed her to lie down. Madam Pomfrey turned out the lights and retreated to her office and personal quarters.

Lily couldn't remember the last time she had felt this miserable. She knew she ought to have been proud, that any other of her classmates would be elated in her place, but deep down, Lily knew she wasn't good enough to be the champion for her school. Now she not only had let down her family by entering, but she was going to disappoint Hogwarts. She blinked back tears and looked at the outline of her wand, sitting on the bedside table.

She reached out for it and wrapped her fingers around the oak handle. It felt warm and comfortable in her hand. She rolled onto her back and held the wand above her.

"Lumos," she whispered. The tip ignited, pricking a small hole of light in the darkness of the hospital wing, and Lily smiled.

* * *

><p>Hope you like it!<p> 


	9. McGonagall's Office

Chapter Nine

McGonagall's Office

The clinking sound of Madam Pomfrey carrying a breakfast tray woke Lily. The matron smiled at her and set the tray on the bedside table. "How are you feeling?"

Lily nodded. "I'm fine," she lied. Her stomach churned, but Madam Pomfrey stood by her side, so she forced down the oatmeal on the tray.

"The headmistress is expecting you," Madam Pomfrey told her. "You're discharged, but come back if you feel sick again later."

"I'll be okay, thank you," Lily said. She quickly changed into her robes and left the hospital wing. When she arrived outside Professor McGonagall's office a few minutes later, she realized that she had forgotten to ask the password. "Er…Dumbledore?" she asked. The gargoyle was motionless. "What about…Ginger Newt? Tartan?" she questioned desperately. Nothing. "Umm…Godric Gryffindor, Hogwarts…" Lily rolled her eyes. Then, a thought occurred to her. It was far-fetched, but worth a try.

"Rose?" she asked tentatively. The gargoyle moved aside and allowed Lily through to the staircase. When she reached the door, she could hear her father's voice on the other side.

"Hermione, I've got every right to want her out! She's my daughter, do you honestly think it matters that she put her own name in, instead of someone else trying to? She's going to be in danger no matter what. Have you forgotten what I went through? What you had to help me through?"

"Harry, there's no way for you to _get_ her out," said Aunt Hermione, sounding exasperated. "You know that better than any of us. But you also know I wouldn't be telling you that she's going to be all right if I didn't think it was the truth. The Goblet isn't a lottery. It picked Lily because it wanted her."

"It's wanted people before, Hermione, and they've died." Lily flinched at the ice in her father's voice, and knew instinctively that he was talking about Cedric Diggory. "And don't talk about it like it's some kind of thinking, feeling thing! It's not a real judge!" Harry said loudly.

"For all intents and purposes, Harry, it is," came Professor McGonagall's voice. "It's enchanted to understand the people whose names are entered into it and deliver a non-partisan decision as to who will best serve as a champion."

Lily heard a thud, and was fairly sure that her father had hit the headmistress's desk with his fist. "Minerva, she can't," he said. His voice was much softer this time. He sounded…afraid. Lily put her hands on either side of her face, staring at the floor. What had she done?

"I believe that's up to your daughter," Professor McGonagall said firmly. For a moment Lily debated whether or not she should just go and hide, never to be found again. Then, slowly, she raised her hand and knocked on the door. "Come in," Professor McGonagall called.

Lily pushed the door open. Professor McGonagall sat at her desk in the wide, round office. Lily looked above McGonagall's head at Professor Dumbledore's portrait and smiled. The old wizard's beard twitched and he winked at her. Then Aunt Hermione cleared her throat, and Lily looked at her. She sat with Ginny in front of Professor McGonagall's desk. Harry stood behind them. Lily gave another, rather weak smile at her family.

"Hi Mum, Dad," she said, closing the door behind her. She came over to her parents and hugged them both.

"Hi, sweetheart," Harry said, not smiling.

Ginny kissed her cheek. "Come sit down," she said, gesturing for Lily to take the empty chair in front of them. She sat down and didn't speak, staring at her knees.

"Well," Professor McGonagall said after several moments of silence. "Lily, would you like to say anything?"

Lily clenched her teeth. She didn't raise her eyes, focusing on a chip in her thumbnail. "I—" her voice didn't seem to want to work, and she swallowed.

"Lily, look at us, please." Ginny's voice was gentle, but firm. Lily's eyes found her mother's.

"I entered my name into the tournament," she said quietly. "And…now I've been chosen." She took a deep breath. "I broke my promise to you both, and to the rest of the family, and I'm really, really sorry. I should never have—"

Lily broke off, not wanting to sound foolish that she had allowed a taunt to push her so far. But, of course—

"Why did you put your name in, Lily?" Ginny asked. "It's not like you to do something like this, especially when your father and I were so clear with you about how we felt. You know why we told you to stay out of the tournament, it's not safe. It's a lot of work, more than you can imagine. You're not—" She stopped, looking at Harry for help.

"I know I'm not good enough," Lily said quietly. "Believe me."

"Oh, Lily." Ginny looked horrified with herself. "I—it's not that, it's just—"

"No, Mum, I know," Lily told him. Her eyes filled with tears. "It was a complete mistake, and I'm sorry I broke my promise, but would you be having this same conversation with James? Or Al? Be honest." She looked between her parents.

Harry sighed. "We'd be just as worried if it was one of the boys. If they were still here, they would have been banned, too."

"And you don't think they would have disregarded that the _second_ the tournament opened?" Lily asked, her voice rising. "I promise you, if anyone else in the family had gotten picked, they might be in trouble for disobeying you, but in the end, it would just be one big laugh. Because Weasleys and Potters can handle themselves under pressure, and they'll always, _always_ win. Quidditch captains, prefects—" she gave a humorless laugh—"Dominique is the best Gobstones player that's ever been in the club here! I haven't—I'm not anything like the rest of them."

"Lily," said Ginny softly. "All that is completely different. This is real danger, not a Quidditch match. And you know that you and your brothers are the most important people in our lives." Ginny reached for Harry's hand. "We would never, ever compare you to James or Al."

"I know, Mum," Lily told her as her eyes filled with tears. She felt exasperated beyond all belief. "It was a complete mistake, and I'm sorry I broke my promise, but I'm just going to have to do this as well as I can. I'll take any punishment you have."

Harry surveyed his daughter, his expression sad. "Well, Lily, I don't think a punishment is in order." Both Ginny and Lily looked at him, frowning. "You need our support, more than anything else right now, and you have it. I wish you hadn't disobeyed us, but…you make a good point. I can't say that I wouldn't expect either of the boys to do the same thing in your position."

"But Lily, please, be honest with us," Ginny said, sounding a little desperate. "_Why_ did you put your name in?"

"I…I had an argument with Roxy and Hugo," Lily admitted. "It was stupid, and I shouldn't have let it get to me, but I just felt so angry at them—"

"Wait," Harry said, putting his hand up. "How does that translate to you dropping your name in the Goblet?"

Lily froze. She didn't want to tell the whole truth—it sounded idiotic, and she had always avoided telling her parents the extent of the teasing she was subjected to. "I just got overemotional and I did something stupid."

Harry sighed, shaking his head. "All right," he said, taking a deep breath. "All right. Lily, you have our support all the way. We're your parents, and we love you very much, and right now, that's all that matters."

Ginny stood and came to stand next to her daughter, wrapping Lily in her arms. "We love you more than anything, sweetheart, and we just want you to be safe." Lily felt her eyes sting with tears again and looked up at her mother.

"Mum, I'm sorry, I really am," she said.

"Shh," Ginny said, smoothing Lily's hair. "We know, Pix. But that's not going to change the situation."

"I quite agree," Professor McGonagall said, laying her hands on her desk. "Lily is our school champion, and I am very pleased to have her. I've seen her work very hard these past six years, harder than you might imagine," she said, looking at Harry and Ginny. Lily felt a small twinge of pride. "She has become a very fine witch, I think she'll make a very fitting champion in this tournament."

"As do I," said Aunt Hermione, smiling at her niece. Lily felt herself blush. "Lily, we're all here for you. You can do it."

"Hear, hear!" cried Professor Dumbledore's portrait, his face alight with joy. Several other portraits cheered as well.

"Professor Dumbledore, really," Professor McGonagall admonished. When she turned away, however, the portrait winked again at Lily.

Lily faced her father and mother, who looked at her reassuringly, and nodded. "Thanks," she said quietly. "I'll try my best."

"Very good," said Professor McGonagall getting to her feet. "Now, if you'll all excuse me, I have a meeting with Professor Patil, regarding a student." Harry, Ginny, and Hermione said their goodbyes and followed Lily down the spiraling staircase behind the gargoyle.

"Do you want me to walk you to the gates?" Lily asked her parents and Aunt Hermione, not looking up at them as they stood outside the office.

"We're going to have a word with Hermione, sweetheart," Ginny said, lifting her daughter's chin and looking into her eyes. "We're not supposed to come back for the tasks, and I assume you'll need to stay here for the Yule Ball over the Christmas holidays, but listen to me." Ginny put her hands on Lily's cheeks. "We may need some time to process all this, but your father and I love you very much, and we are with you all the way."

Harry gave what Lily thought was a very forced smile. His eyes remained concerned. "That's right, Pix," he said. "I want to hear all about it." Lily nodded, burying herself in his arms.

"I love you, Dad," she said. "I'm going to be fine." She wished she felt half as confident as she sounded. Harry stroked her hair.

"I know you will be," he told her, a note of hope in his voice. Lily released him and hugged her mother and her aunt.

"I'll see you in three weeks," Aunt Hermione said.

After seeing them safely to the entrance hall, Lily began the trek back to Gryffindor Tower. She didn't exactly feel better, but she was relieved that her parents hadn't been angry. Now all that was left was facing her fellow Gryffindors, who, in all likelihood, would not be pleased with their chosen champion.

Lily stood before the portrait of the Fat Lady all too soon. She looked into the painting's face, silently pleading for some clue as to what awaited her, but the Fat Lady remained inscrutable. Lily hoped dearly that Alice would be waiting for her on the other side.

"Doxy wing," Lily said. The painting swung forward, and she climbed through the portrait hole. Her heart sank a bit. The common room was quiet, even for a Saturday afternoon. A crowd of first-years sat in the corner, watching two boys play chess. Four fifth-years occupied the chairs by the fire, chatting quietly and doing homework. It was times like this that Lily realized how small Gryffindor House was. She looked around the room, but didn't see any of her friends.

As Lily crossed to the staircase, one of the girls by the fire smiled and waved at her—it was Daya Davies. She sat with her twin sister, Devika, and Anna Finnigan and Liza Thomas. The other three looked over at Lily and smiled as well. Lily waved at them, smiling back nervously. None of them had ever talked to her before.

Lily climbed the girls' staircase, finally reaching the sixth and seventh-year girls' room. She pushed open the door, and was immediately greeted by a massive weight throwing itself across her shoulders and a great deal of loud celebration.

"Lily!" Alice cried. Lily staggered beneath her best friend, and over her shoulder Lily saw a banner hanging from her bedposts.

CONGRATULATIONS LILY! It shimmered crimson and gold, and beneath it stood Roxy, Molly, and Jocasta. Alice stepped back, her smile broad. All four of them wore buttons that said POTTER in crimson letters.

"What—?" Lily asked, laughing.

"We're cheering for you, Lily!" Jocasta said. "You're going to be the best champion ever!"

"We thought this might be a bit more fun than lunch in the Great Hall," Molly said, coming forward with a tray of sandwiches. Another tray full of tarts and cakes sat on Alice's bed. Lily smiled at all of them.

"Thank you," she said to Alice, but Alice shook her head.

"It wasn't me. It was Roxy. She got all the food from the kitchens, and she made the banner," Alice told her. Lily's smile faded, and she looked at her cousin. Roxanne was staring at her feet.

"Lily, I'm really sorry," she said. "I don't think you're—you know…I think you're going to be an amazing champion, and I'll be on your side the whole way."

Lily's stomach filled with hot guilt. "I'm sorry too, Rox. I'd be on your side if you'd been chosen, too." She touched Roxy's arm, and her cousin looked up. "Really," Lily said earnestly. "It should've been you, anyway!"

Jocasta pelted Lily with a scrunched-up bit of parchment. "Please, I had that one locked up before you went and entered, Potter!" she laughed. Then she came over and surveyed Lily, walking in a small circle around her. "Hmm…looks like Lily…" she leaned in and sniffed Lily's shoulder. "Smells like Lily…_sounds _like Lily." Jocasta looked at the others.

"This can't be her, though," she said finally. "This girl's glowing. She looks like a school champion to me." Jocasta's elfin features were alight with mischief. Lily blushed.

"Come on, I'm hungry," Roxy moaned. She hurried over to her bed and opened her trunk, retrieving a large stock of butterbeer. Alice cocked her head questioningly, but Roxy shrugged. "Dad's been sending it in care packages, and I stocked up at the Three Broomsticks last Hogsmeade weekend. I was saving it for my birthday, but now's a better time," she said, grinning at Lily.

"Can we come in?" asked a voice at the door. Lily turned, surprised to see Anna, Liza, and the Davies twins standing in the doorway.

"Of course!" Molly said, hurrying over. "But only if you put these on." She fished in her pocket and procured four more POTTER badges. The fifth-years laughed and attached them to their robes.

"Congratulations, Lily," said Anna, sinking down onto Molly's bed with a bottle of butterbeer.

"Thanks, Anna," Lily said, a little confused, but smiling.

"What's the first task?" Devika asked excitedly.

"Don't know," Lily said. "They didn't tell us."

"Aren't you scared?" asked Liza.

Lily paused, not wanting to seem like a coward.

"Of course she's not!" Roxy said, dropping onto the bed beside her cousin. "She wouldn't have put her name in, otherwise."

The fifth-year girls smiled, their expressions awed, and Lily looked at Roxanne. The determined look on her face plainly told Lily that she had nothing to fear. And, throughout the afternoon, Lily found that it was very difficult to feel inadequate, when her friends loved her so much.

* * *

><p>I couldn't resist giving Albus a cameo...he's such a wonderful guy! I have a feeling he and Lily would have been good friends. I haven't asked him yet, but he may want to appear again in portrait form later on. :) Hopefully you guys are liking Lily. If not, tell me why. I may not agree, but I'd like to know. :D<p>

Lucy


	10. The Weighing of the Wands

Chapter Ten

The Champion

The happiness that Lily felt carried her through the rest of the weekend. She felt untouchable, and the more she thought about it, the more comfortable she was with the idea of being school champion. By Monday morning, she was practically levitating. She sat down next to Lorcan in Arithmancy.

"Hello, Lily," he said cordially. "Are you feeling better?"

Lily blushed. "Much better, thanks." She opened her mouth to say something else, but couldn't remember what. She quickly turned back to face her desk.

"I imagine you're excited? About being the champion?" Lorcan asked. Lily smiled and gave a noncommittal shrug. "Well, good luck—"

"You'll need it," said Danielle Zabini, sneering. "Did you know that most Triwizard champions die in the first task? It used to be that the winner would only get the cup by default," she said, casually examining her fingernails. Then she looked up as though a thought had just occurred to her. "And do you know, they were _real _wizards? Ooh, I don't like the odds on a Squib in this tournament." Lily blanched.

"That's quite enough chatter, ladies," Professor Vector said, sweeping into the room.

Potions an hour and a half later was not much better.

"Are you okay, Lily? You look all sweaty, are you going to faint again?" Alice asked, looking concerned as Lily joined the line outside the Potions classroom. Lily shook her head. Hugo stood a few feet away, but she avoided eye contact with him.

"Oh, yes, who could forget Lily's graceful acceptance of her new title?" laughed Danielle, stepping out from the line with Andrea Moon. "Absolutely the most elegant reaction I've ever seen." The three girls burst into laughter.

"Points off for cracking the floor when she landed, though," Andrea added derisively.

"Shut up," Alice snapped, drawing the attention of several students in the queue outside the dungeon door. Hugo gave an involuntary twitch that looked as though he wanted to jump into the argument. "You're just jealous—"

"What, jealous of _that_?" Andrea asked, jerking her chin at Lily, who was staring at her feet. "Fat chance." Her eyes flickered over Lily again. "Literally." Danielle laughed, and she and Andrea moved back down the line, gossiping loudly and casting sidelong glances at Lily, whose eyes were filled with tears.

"Hey," Alice said, rubbing Lily's arm. "Hey, come on. It's just Moon," she told her. Lily nodded and quickly wiped her tears away, taking a deep breath. At that moment, Professor Patil came hurrying down the corridor, her black braid streaming behind her, and the class was allowed into the dungeon.

On her way to her next class, Lily, Alice, and Hugo passed the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom. Professor Shacklebolt caught sight of Lily.

"Lily!" she said, waving her into the room. "We were just coming to look for you!"

Lily frowned. "Why?" she asked.

"I don't know, but Mr. McLaggen has sent for all the champions to meet in my classroom, now," Professor Shacklebolt told her. Lily and Alice shared a confused look, but Lily went in after the teacher.

"Excellent, you're here," Cormac McLaggen said, waving Lily into the room. Melanie Chevalier and Amanda Morgan occupied desks in the first row. A small, skinny man with a camera stood in the corner beside a wizard with brown hair and very thick eyebrows. Another young wizard Lily recognized as Mr. Ollivander, who ran Ollivander's wand shop in Diagon Alley, leaned against the teacher's desk.

"Sorry," Lily said. "I didn't know about this…er…meeting."

"Zis is ze weighing of ze wands," Melanie said, narrowing her eyes at Lily. "Our wands must be inspected before we are allowed to participate in ze tournament. Surely you know zat?" Amanda rolled her eyes at Melanie's superior tone.

Lily nodded. "Oh—of course," she said. "Right, the weighing of the wands."

"May we begin?" asked Mr. Ollivander. McLaggen nodded.

"Hestia, if you don't mind?" he asked Professor Shacklebolt, gesturing for her to leave. Professor Shacklebolt looked taken aback, but left quietly, smiling briefly at Lily. "Thank you. Go right ahead," he said to Mr. Ollivander. "By all means."

"Miss Chevalier? Your wand, please," said Mr. Ollivander. Melanie stood and presented her wand. "Lovely," remarked Mr. Ollivander. "Very fine wood. Nine inches, made of ash, I believe, of very high quality. Containing dragon heartstring?"

"Oui," Melanie said.

"Excellent." Mr. Ollivander raised the wand and caused a shower of green sparks to erupt from the end, then returned it to Melanie, apparently satisfied. "Miss Morgan?" Amanda handed over her wand, looking a little apprehensive.

"Why," Mr. Ollivander said in surprise, "this wand came from my father!" he exclaimed. "How ever did you get this in America?"

"My mother was raised here," Amanda said. "That's her old wand."

"Really?" asked Mr. Ollivander. "Ten and a half inches, willow. Also containing dragon heartstring." Amanda nodded. "It's in fine shape," Mr. Ollivander remarked. He shot off blue sparks from the wand, and, satisfied, returned it to Amanda.

"Your turn," Mr. Ollivander said, turning to Lily. Lily passed him her wand. "Oh, goodness, I remember this one. Ten inches, oak. This was a beautiful little female unicorn that gave me this tail hair." He took a deep breath, as if feeling the power of the wand. Then, casually, he flicked it, firing white sparks from the end, and smiled. "Excellent condition, Miss Potter, excellent."

Lily took her wand back and replaced it in her robes.

"A quick photograph, ladies, please," Mr. McLaggen called. "Gather close, now."

The wizard with heavy eyebrows, who had to be a journalist of some kind, and the photographer stepped forward as Lily moved to stand behind Melanie's seat.

"Ah, ah, ah," cried the reporter. "To the front, Miss Potter."

Reluctantly, Lily did as she was told, smiling rather uncomfortably between Amanda and Melanie. The heavy reporter kept asking questions of Cormac McLaggen, who would provide long-winded answers that seemed never to end. Finally, after almost two hours, they were allowed to leave. Lily followed Melanie and Amanda, on her way to lunch, since she seemed to have missed the past three classes.

"Might I have a word, Miss Potter?" Lily felt a hand descend on her shoulder and looked up into the face of the dark-haired reporter. Lily opened her mouth to say no, but the wizard pulled her back.

"Lily? There's a teacher here who needs to talk to you." Lily looked up and saw Amanda Morgan poking her head in the door of the classroom.

"Er, I'm sorry, but I've got to go," Lily said to him. Before he could argue, Lily ducked away quickly and hurried out the door.

"You're wonderful," Lily told Amanda when they had escaped earshot of the classroom.

"He seemed kind of gross," Amanda said with a laugh as she ran her hands through her glossy black hair. "I thought you might like a little help."

Lily snorted. "You have no idea. My dad hates it when we talk to reporters—" she broke off, not wanting to sound self-important or spoiled.

"I know all about it," Amanda said. "My mom still remembers all the awful stories they printed about Harry Potter."

"Did she go to school here?" Lily asked. They reached the top of the entrance hall staircase.

"Yeah," Amanda said. She eyed the Gryffindor insignia on Lily's robes. "She wasn't in your house, though."

"Which—"

"Lily! There you are!" Alice called, hurrying up the steps from the dungeons. She stopped when she saw Amanda. "Hello," Alice said, extending her hand. "I'm Alice Longbottom."

"Amanda Morgan. It's nice to meet you," she said.

"You too," Alice told her with a smile. "Where have you been?" she asked Lily.

"I'll explain later," Lily said. "Let's just get some lunch."

"I'm going to go find my friend," Amanda said. "I'll talk to you later."

"Oh. Okay, well, thanks a lot," Lily said. Amanda stopped at the top of the stairs.

"Don't worry about it," she said with a smile.

"That's the Salem champion?" Alice asked. Lily nodded. Alice was silent for a few moments, considering something. "She seems nice," she decided as they walked into the Great Hall.

The week dragged on. Lily found herself forcibly ignoring the taunts of Andrea and the other Slytherins, but it was becoming more and more difficult. On Friday night, she returned to Gryffindor tower after spending four hours in the library, trying to fill out an Arithmancy chart, but finding herself unable to focus. She gave up when Madam Pince forcibly removed her from the library at eight o'clock on the dot.

Lily climbed through the portrait hole and quickly spotted Hugo, Alice, and Michael sitting at a study table, frowning as they talked in low voices. She hurried over, and as she did so, Hugo left the table, not meeting her gaze.

"Hi, Lily," Alice said, her expression clearing as her best friend sat down.

"Hey." Lily took Hugo's abandoned seat, watching the tail of his robes swish up the boys' staircase. She bit her lip.

"Hugo told us about the fight you two had," Alice said, folding her hands on the tabletop. "He feels really terrible about it, Lils."

Lily nodded, tracing a circle on the table. "I should talk to him," she admitted.

"You forgave Roxy," Alice wheedled. "I think you can do the same with Hugo."

Lily shrugged, looking out the window. Then she jumped. A huge barn owl sat on the windowsill outside. "Pierre, where did you come from?" she asked, reaching up to open the window. Victoire's owl hopped inside, a scroll tied to his leg with Lily's name on it. When Lily had relieved his burden, Pierre flapped his wings once and took up residence on top of Michael's head. Alice stifled a laugh and extended one arm to coax him down.

"It's from Teddy," Lily said. Teddy and Victoire had gotten married the summer before her third year. As unwilling as Lily might be to admit it, she had harbored a crush on Teddy long before then, and even now, it sometimes hurt to watch them together.

She felt a twinge of guilt; usually Lily and Teddy were excellent at weekly communication. Lily realized she hadn't written to him all year. She unrolled the letter and began to read.

_Hey, Pix,_

_I've just heard about you putting your name in to be the Triwizard champion. I don't really know what you were thinking, but I'm kind of worried about you. Wait, that sounds terrible. What I mean is, I want you to do really well, and I'm excited for you, but I want you to be careful. The tournament is serious stuff. I'm sure you're busy with seventh year and everything, but drop me a note, all right? Let me know you're doing okay. Miss you! Victoire sends her love._

_Teddy_

Lily scowled and crumpled the paper up, cramming it deep down into her bag. It wasn't exactly the congratulations she had hoped for.

"What's up?" Michael asked, wincing. Pierre was nibbling his ear a little too affectionately for Michael's comfort, so Lily held one arm out, and Pierre very happily fluttered over and climbed onto Lily's shoulder, cuddling against her head.

"Nothing. They're just worried about me, like everyone else," she sighed. She looked up at Alice and Michael. "Why do people think I'm not taking this seriously?" Michael shrugged, but Alice looked thoughtful.

"I can understand why they're worried. I mean, I'm worried, too," she confessed.

Lily looked away. "Why? Because you don't think I'm good enough either?" she asked dully.

"No, Lily, and don't you ever say that again," snapped Alice, startling her. "I'm worried because this is dangerous, and if anyone I care about had been chosen, I'd be upset, so don't make this about you."

Lily's expression was sheepish. "Sorry."

"It's all right," Alice huffed. "I just want to help you as much as I can, and I want you to be safe."

"We're with you, Lily," Michael said, smiling. "I'll get all of Gryffindor on your side if I have to Imperius them all." Lily smiled.

"And," Alice said slowly, "if you go talk to Hugo now, you'll have someone else on your side."

Lily's face felt hot. She said nothing for a moment, opening the window to let Pierre fly out. Maybe she would go visit Calliope in the morning.

"Lily," Alice said.

"Right. Well, I'll—I'll just go…do that," said Lily. She got up and walked slowly to the stairs, glancing back. Alice nodded at her encouragingly, and Lily began to climb the steps to the boys' dormitory.

She got to Henry, Hugo, Michael, and Andrew's door, which was slightly ajar. Cautiously, she put out one hand and started to push open the door.

"Hey!" yelled Hugo. Lily leapt back. She heard a book slam shut and the click of a lock on a trunk. "Doesn't anyone knock around here?" The door was wrenched open. Hugo's face fell.

"Sorry," Lily said. "I'll come back—"

Hugo sighed. "No, Lil, come in." He walked into his dormitory and dropped onto his four-poster, giving his trunk a kick under the bed. "What did you want?"

Lily slid one arm around a post on Henry's bed. "To apologize," she said. "I shouldn't have yelled at you. And I didn't mean what I said. I care about you. You're my best friend, and you're my family," she said. "We're practically twins. I don't know what I'd do without you, but that doesn't mean I can always demand to know where you are and what you're doing."

Hugo looked at her for a long moment. "I'm sorry too, Lily," he said finally. "I was in a really foul mood, and I treated you badly because of it. I didn't know about Roxy. I need you too," he told her, getting up. "I'd be totally lost without you. I'm sorry I haven't been honest with you about where I've been going, but—" he paused, looking at the door, which Lily had closed behind her. "Can you keep a secret?"

"Of course," Lily said earnestly.

Hugo sighed. "Even my mum and dad don't know about this," he told her. Lily nodded. "Professor McGonagall—she's teaching me to become an Animagus."

Lily's mouth fell open. "Hugo, are you serious? That's amazing! Do you have a form yet? What animal do you become? Is it the same as your patronus?"

Hugo shook his head. "It's nothing like that yet. I'm not even going to try the spell for another couple of weeks. Min—McGonagall's got me studying theory mostly, and I'm doing well, but…" he sighed again, and Lily saw just how tired he looked. She felt ashamed of herself. "It's just a lot of work. That's why I've been disappearing. No secret girlfriend." Hugo grinned at her.

Lily laughed and sat down on the bed beside him. "Well good, for a while there I was worried you'd been seeing Andrea Moon behind our backs, and then I'd have to do something drastic."

Hugo gave a fake shudder. "That cow? Eurgh, no, it's only Rose that's got a taste for Slytherins."

"Scorpius is a _Ravenclaw_," Lily reminded him, but Hugo ignored her.

A sudden thought seemed to have occurred to him. "She wrote me this week. Apparently she and 'Scorp'—" his tone betrayed his disgust, "—are both assigned to a cursebreaking job in an old chateau in France." He pulled a slightly crumpled scroll from his bedside table and passed it to Lily. "She wrote part of it to you."

Lily scowled, not taking the letter. "I've already had all the 'concerned cousin' I can take from Teddy and Victoire."

Hugo smirked. "You might want to read it anyway." He shoved the letter in her hands and stretched out on the bed, still smirking.

Lily read aloud. "Oh, and tell Lily that I'm really proud of her. I know it takes some guts to get in the way of what the family wants, so let her know that Scorp and I are both really excited to hear about how she does in the first task. I trust Uncle Harry and Aunt Ginny to support her anyway, just like Mum and Dad (maybe a little reluctantly for him) are with us, but I just want her to know she's not alone.

"Also, I saw James, Al, and Fred the other day. Apparently their scouting trip to see if they can expand Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes is going well, but Albus is dying to get back to his Auror training. They hadn't heard about Lily, so she can expect a letter from them as well pretty soon.

"Anyway, tell Lily good luck, stay safe, and Scorp and I know she'll do brilliantly. Love, Rosie." Lily sat back, smiling to herself.

"What?" Hugo asked, sitting up.

"Your sister's the best," Lily said. Hugo rolled his eyes. "And so's her boyfriend! You have to admit it. He's much better than that sister of his. And he's a Ravenclaw, just like Lucy," Lily coaxed.

Hugo feigned a collapse back onto the bed. "Never!" he cried dramatically. Lily laughed and hugged him, happy to have Hugo back.


	11. Flying Lessons

Chapter Eleven

Flying Lessons

The week of the first task arrived far too quickly for Lily's liking. She spent most of her free time in the library, revisiting old spells and jinxes that could come in handy, wishing that she had some kind of clue as to what lay ahead of her. Occasionally, Hugo or Alice would practice with her in Professor Vector's classroom. Professor Vector had been very kind about allowing Lily the space, as long as there was no permanent destruction when they finished. Even with all this practice, however, Lily began to feel the anxious ball build in her stomach, and by Wednesday morning, all she could do was stare at her empty breakfast plate.

"Lily, you're going to get sick and miss the task if you don't eat something right now," Alice said, serving a fried egg right onto the plate.

"Maybe that's not such a bad idea," Lily said uneasily, looking up at her.

Hugo rolled his eyes, halfway through his third egg. Even in a crisis, Hugo could eat anything. "So what, you're just going to sit inside and let those two have all the fun?" He nodded over Alice's shoulder in the direction of the Ravenclaw table, where Amanda and Melanie sat.

"It's not fun, it's dangerous," Lily moaned.

"That does not sound like a champion to me," said Roxy, dropping into the seat next to Alice.

Lily put her head in her hands. "I'm doomed," she said.

"Now, now," Roxy said. "I have something special for you." She leaned in close. "Meet me and Henry on the Quidditch pitch at sundown."

"What? Why?" Lily asked, wary.

"You're going to learn how to fly a broom," Roxanne said in a satisfied tone of voice.

Lily snorted. "No, I'm not," she said.

"You're going to," Roxy told her, "because you need to."

"And why do I need to?" Lily asked doubtfully.

"Because I've seen both of those girls on the pitch, late at night, with their brooms," Roxy said, turning to look at Melanie and Amanda. "I'll bet anything they know something about what the task is, and they've been practicing." She faced Lily again. "You need to learn. It's been six years since your last flying lesson—"

"And did no one pay attention to how that went? Madam Hooch almost retired, if you recall!" Lily said. Hugo snorted sand Lily silenced him with a glare.

"And what have you been doing out of the dormitory late at night, Roxanne Weasley?" Alice asked suspiciously.

"None of your business," Roxy said, blushing.

"No, Roxy," Lily said. "I highly doubt that the first task is going to call for something that specialized. I'm not getting all worked up just because those two wanted to practice their flying."

"Lily, a handful of spells aren't going to be much use if the majority of the task takes place in the air," Roxy said desperately.

"No, Roxy."

* * *

><p>"I hate you," Lily said, shivering on the icy Quidditch pitch.<p>

"Thank me later," Roxy told her, using her wand to melt the frost in a wide circle all around her. Her Firebolt III lay on the pitch. Roxy had saved up for it for two years, working in her father's shop. She was an amazing Chaser for Gryffindor, and probably would have been Captain if the Inter-House Championship hadn't been cancelled. Henry Boot marched up, carrying two broomsticks. His was a re-released Silver Arrow, the one he rode as Beater for Gryffindor. The other was a Cleansweep Twelve, a school broom. Lily reached for it.

"No," Henry said. He extended his own broom. "You're going to ride the Arrow. It's not as jerky as these can be," he said, gesturing with the Cleansweep.

Lily took the broom, her eyes wide. "I'm really sorry," she told Henry.

He laughed. "For what?"

"For whatever happens to your broom," Lily said.

"You know, for someone who comes from a family of Quidditch players—" Henry began in a tone of amazement.

"Nothing's going to happen to it or you," Roxy interrupted. "Now come on. You remember how to kick off?" Lily nodded. "Do it, then!" Roxy said, rubbing her arms from the cold.

The first four times, Lily fell off the broom before it got more than six feet in the air. When she finally did manage to hover, she was so excited that she promptly tumbled right off again. After nearly two hours, though, with only their wandlights and the moon for illumination, Lily was flying in wide, slow circles fifty feet above Roxy and Henry. She was thrilled, this was so simple!

"All right, Lils!" Henry called. "Great job! Come down, now, it's nearly curfew." Lily pointed the broom downwards and alighted softly on the grass.

Roxy applauded. "Tomorrow night, we'll get up there with you and see if we can't get you to go a little faster," she said, wrapping an arm around Lily's neck. Lily smiled as Henry clapped her on the back and took his broom.

When they were halfway across the lawn, Lily heard someone shout her name. She turned, and saw Amanda Morgan, who appeared to be returning to the Salem Institute house, which sat on the edge of the forest, its balloon gone.

Amanda jogged over. "I thought that was you," she said. Lily noticed she was carrying a broomstick. "How are you?"

"Fine, thanks," Lily said. Henry and Roxy still stood behind her. "Oh, uh, Amanda, this is Roxanne, my cousin, and my friend Henry. This is Amanda, the Salem champion."

"Pleasure," Roxy said, shaking her hand. "But it's freezing, and I'd love to get back inside."

Lily shivered as well. "I'll see you later, Amanda."

"Wait, Lily," Amanda said. "Can I talk to you for a second?" She looked at Roxy and Henry. "Alone?"

Lily glanced back at them, nodding for them to go ahead without her. She wrapped her arms around herself. "What's up?" she asked.

"We know what the first task is," Amanda said. "Well—we know part of it. We have to fly."

Lily's heart sank. Her last hope that she would never have to ride a broomstick again flickered and died. "Are you serious? How do you know?"

"Bishop overheard a teacher talking to that guy from the Ministry, something like that, I don't know," Amanda told her. "But Melanie knows too. I figure it's because we can all play Quidditch, you know?" she said. "I'm a Seeker, Melanie's a Keeper—what do you play?"

"Oh, I—"

"Anyway, it doesn't matter, I just wanted it to be fair," Amanda told her. "I'm sure you'll be fine. See you Friday!"

And she turned and trotted off towards the house. Lily stood there for a few moments, before suddenly realizing how cold she was. She hurried up the lawn and inside the castle doors. Once she was safely in, the realization that she would be expected to be able to fly, and fly well, by Friday morning hit her like a charging Graphorn.

She trudged slowly up to the seventh floor. When she came to the corridor where the Fat Lady hung, she stopped. There were muffled noises coming from one of the alcoves occupied by a statue. Lily frowned and approached it warily.

"Lumos," she whispered.

"Aaargh!" someone yelled.

"Lily!" Roxy cried, shoving Henry off of her. Her hair was disheveled and her cheeks flushed. Henry straightened his shirt and tie, looking uncomfortable. "We were just—just—"

Lily backed away and practically ran for the Fat Lady. "Doxy wing!" she cried. The portrait swung open and Lily clambered through, not stopping until she reached the girls' dormitory. Alice sat up as she ran in, slamming the door behind her and collapsing onto her bed.

"Lily? What is it?" she asked, sounding frightened.

"Roxy—and—Henry—" Lily panted, not opening her eyes. "In the corridor—snogging—"

Alice put both hands over her mouth, stifling a laugh. "Really?" she giggled. Lily nodded. Alice burst into laughter, nearly falling off her bed.

Lily looked over at her, wishing she felt half as amused. It was an upsetting experience, catching your cousin snogging your friend. Alice was laughing so hard, Lily didn't have the heart to tell her what Amanda had warned her about. Instead, she changed into her pajamas and got into bed, leaving Alice snickering to herself as she read for Transfiguration.

Lily was inexplicably annoyed, as well. How could they? They were supposed to be helping her, and yet Roxy and Henry were just sneaking around, snogging in corridors. Lily scowled into her pillow, and pretended to be asleep when she heard Roxanne finally come in.


	12. The First Task

Chapter Twelve

The First Task

Lily didn't sleep after her second flying lesson. She had far too much adrenaline and anxiety to even close her eyes. She watched the sky turn different colors all night long, trying to cling to the feeling of weightlessness and perfect balance she had experienced as she soared around the Quidditch pitch. Though things had been a little awkward between all of them, Roxy and Henry had been true to their word and taught Lily everything they could about flying.

She had actually been kind of good, Lily admitted to herself. Now, though, with the task hours away, she was less sure. She would be going up against two skilled Quidditch players in their element, and she didn't even know what the task was.

At half past six, Lily slipped out of bed, dressed, and went to the Owlery. She looked up into the rafters, trying to spot little Calliope's gray feathers. When she did, Lily extended one arm, and the owl soared down, landing gracefully on Lily's hand. The owl was small and very sweet-tempered. She had been a present from James and Al when Lily got her letter from Hogwarts.

Calliope edged up Lily's arm and nipped her ear, hooting softly. Lily smiled. "How are you, hm? Being good?" Calliope hooted again. "I don't have any letters for you today," Lily said. "But I've got a treat." She reached into her pocket and held an Owl Treat in the palm of her hand. Calliope ruffled her wings excitedly and scooped it up in her beak.

Lily smiled. "You'll still love me, even if I lose today." She rubbed her cheek against Calliope's soft feathers. "I'll see you soon," Lily said. Calliope hooted and took off from her arm, soaring up into the rafters. Lily sighed and left the Owlery for breakfast.

As she sat at the end of the Gryffindor table with Alice and Hugo, silently eating some tasteless porridge that Hugo had set in front of her with a menacing glare, Lily saw Melanie and Amanda each enter, followed by an entourage of their fellow students. Each had a crowd of Beauxbatons and Hogwarts boys gathered around her. Lily rolled her eyes and stared at her food.

"Hi, Mum," Hugo called. Lily looked up and saw Hermione entering the Great Hall with Madame Maxime, Professor Bishop, Professor McGonagall, and Cormac McLaggen.

Aunt Hermione came over and gave Hugo a big hug. "How are you, Lily?" she asked.

"She's fantastic," Alice said, throwing one arm around Lily's shoulders. Hermione smiled. "She'll be the best out there."

Aunt Hermione reached across the table and squeezed Lily's hand. "I'm sure you will be," she said. She gave Hugo a kiss, which he wiped off his cheek, and hurried up to the staff table.

At the end of breakfast, Lily prepared to go to Charms with Alice and Hugo. When they were halfway out the door, Professor Longbottom's voice rang out over the hall.

"All champions are to report to the Quidditch pitch at ten o'clock sharp!" he called. "The rest of the students may proceed to the stands at the end of their classes." Lily gulped.

Charms didn't seem to happen. Lily quite forgot where she was until Alice was scowling at her, annoyed that Lily had somehow managed to completely drench Alice when they were supposed to be practicing the Avifors Charm on the teapot they shared.

Halfway through double Potions, Professor Patil came over to Lily's table. "Miss Potter, it's time," she said. Lily looked at her in horror.

"No, I've got another half hour—"

"I don't mean your potion, Lily, I mean that it's time for you to be at the task," Professor Patil told her. Lily felt sick. "Miss Longbottom, Mr. Weasley, would you mind cleaning up after her?"

Hugo shook his head. "No problem."

"Good luck, Lily," Alice said gently. Lily seemed to have lost her ability for independent movement, so Alice bent and picked up Lily's bag. "Do you have your wand?" Alice asked. Lily nodded dumbly, feeling for it in her pocket.

"Go on, Miss Potter," said Professor Patil. "Good luck."

Most of the class seemed to be watching her at this point. Lily walked slowly to the door. Someone—Henry, probably—wolf-whistled. She stopped and looked back at Alice, who nodded.

"Go Lily!" cried Kelemon Corrigan. "You can do it!" Several other Hufflepuffs cheered their agreement. Andrea and her fellow Slytherins scoffed and rolled their eyes.

"Yeah, come on, Lily!" Hugo shouted. Alice, Michael, Henry, and Andrew Wood started clapping for her, and Lily smiled.

"Good luck, Lily," Lorcan Scamander said. Lily's smile widened, and she hurried from the dungeon.

Lily couldn't help but notice that it was a beautiful day. The cold had relented, if only for a short while, and the clouds filling the sky were huge, puffy, and white. When she arrived at the Quidditch pitch, she saw her aunt and Cormac McLaggen standing outside a bright purple tent set up near the locker rooms.

"There she is," Mr. McLaggen called heartily as Lily approached.

"Right in here, Lily," Hermione said, gesturing for her to enter the tent. Melanie Chevalier, dressed in her powder blue school robes, was speaking in French with Madame Maxime. Amanda Morgan sat cross-legged on the grass floor, eyes closed, in a violet Salem Institute uniform. Professor Bishop stood nearby, his hands clasped behind his back. His robes were the same shade of violet as Amanda's.

"Oh, good, Miss Potter," Professor McGonagall said, coming in the tent flap. Lily had never seen her wear something that denoted her connection to Gryffindor house, but today she was wrapped in a crimson and gold scarf. She had left her walking stick in her office, and she had a look of determination in her eyes that Lily had never seen.

Lily walked around the tent, trying to ignore the cold and focus on her balance, the wonderful feeling she'd had the night before as she circled the pitch on Henry's broom. At a quarter to eleven, she realized that the stands were filling. She didn't dare look out to see if she could find Alice and Hugo.

Aunt Hermione, Cormac McLaggen, and the heads of each school stood in the corner, talking quietly. Then, Hermione looked up.

"All right, champions," she said. "It's nearly time."

Amanda, Melanie, and Lily joined each other. Amanda gave Lily a nervous smile, which Lily couldn't seem to force herself to return, instead settling for an awkward jerk of her head. Professor McGonagall, Madame Maxime, and Professor Bishop stepped forward.

"Good luck, ladies," Professor Bishop, shaking each girl's hand. "We're very excited to see what you can do." Melanie smiled confidently, shaking back her long brown hair.

Madame Maxime bent and kissed Melanie twice on each cheek. "Bonne chance," she said. She too shook Amanda and Lily's hands. Professor McGonagall did the same, meeting Lily's eyes for a fraction of a second longer than the others. Instantly, Lily felt her insides fill with hope. Then the three teachers left the tent.

"All right, ladies," Hermione said. "Mr. McLaggen, if you would?" He nodded and stepped over to a large trunk, from which he withdrew three school broomsticks. In the corner of her eye, Lily saw Amanda and Melanie visibly relax.

"This task is a race of sorts," Hermione told them. "You will each be given a broomstick. When the task begins, we will release one hundred Golden Snitches, but flying among them are three Silver Snitches. When you hear us announce your names, you will all enter the pitch and mount your brooms. From there you have twelve minutes exactly to collect your Silver Snitch and land, and you _must_ collect your Snitch. It contains a clue to the next task, which you'll need to participate."

Lily's stomach twisted uncomfortably, and she wondered whether she would be sick right here, in front of the other champions.

"We're going to join the other judges now. Pay attention, and wait until you hear us announce you," Mr. McLaggen said. "Best of luck." Aunt Hermione smiled at Lily, then at the others, and followed McLaggen. The three champions looked nervously at each other.

"Bonne chance," Melanie said. Her English didn't seem to be particularly strong, or she might have just been nervous.

"Yeah, good luck," said Amanda, giving a weak smile. Lily cleared her throat, unable to speak, but nodded at each of them.

"And now, your Triwizard champions," Mr. McLaggen's magically magnified voice echoed over the pitch. "For Beauxbatons Academy of Magic, Miss Melanie Chevalier!" Melanie hitched a brilliant smile on her face and left the tent, waving her arm high above her head to the cheers of the crowd.

"For the Salem Witches Institute, Miss Amanda Morgan!"

"See you out there," Amanda said, and she hurried out in a swirl of purple. Lily doubled over, her heartbeat throbbing in her ears. If she ran now, what would happen?

"And, for Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Miss Lily Potter!"

Was Lily imagining it, or was the crowd cheering more loudly? She stepped out of the tent. Cold wind blew in her face, and she threw one hand up. Clouds were rolling in quickly. In the center of the pitch stood Madam Hooch, Professor Vector, and Professor Sinistra. Each stood before a large golden dome, undoubtedly holding the Snitches.

Lily went to stand beside Melanie and Amanda, who had already picked up their brooms. She reached for her own, and looked up into the stands. She could see the Beauxbatons students, bearing a sign emblazoned with MELANIE, NOTRE CHÈRIE, and another among the Salem girls reading CHAMPION AMANDA.

She searched for the Gryffindor section, but couldn't find it. Then, slowly, Lily realized that they weren't sitting according to Houses. There was a huge crowd of Hogwarts students, a multicolored mass of scarlet, yellow, and blue. In the very center hung a banner: LILY, OUR LEADER.

"Champions, mount your brooms," Mr. McLaggen called. The roar of Lily's heartbeat filled her ears louder than the screams of the crowd. She saw Roxanne—Michael—Alice—Hugo—Henry—Lorcan—all of them were cheering madly. Lily swung one leg over the broom, bracing herself for kickoff.

A crack like a cannon rang through the air, and Melanie and Amanda shot off. Lily kicked hard and rocketed after them, just as the three teachers at the center of the pitch waved their wands, making the golden domes melt away, and the Snitches whirled into the air.

Lily put one hand in front of her face defensively, still clinging desperately to her broom. Then a thought occurred to her. She plunged her left hand into her robes, yanked out her wand, and thought, _Protego_! A Shield Charm erupted in front of her, deflecting the sharp wings of the Snitches. Her cheek stung, and she was sure one of them had already sliced her.

A sudden sense of calm focus washed over her. How could she possibly have been nervous? Flight was nothing. She was weightless, as if she belonged to the air. She spiraled upward with the Snitches, keeping her eyes narrowed against the wind, looking for a flash of silver.

Amanda shot in front of her, taking a wide lap around the pitch. Melanie was circling, high above, her dark ponytail fluttering in the wind. Lily remained hovering in the thick of the Snitches, still shooting up into the air. Just as she decided to try going higher, she spotted a twinkle of silver.

"Six and a half minutes left for our champions to locate the Silver Snitches," cried Cormac McLaggen. "Chevalier appears to have spotted something—yes, there she goes—"

Melanie shot downwards directly in front of Lily in a spectacular dive, nearly causing Lily to fall from her broomstick. She jerked the handle upward and leapt a little higher above the cloud of Snitches, trying to find the silver she had seen earlier—

The crowd gave a loud groan.

"A nasty collision between Chevalier and Morgan, Morgan seems to be injured—wait, wait—Chevalier has caught a Snitch! Chevalier has a Snitch and is the first to touch down!" Cormac McLaggen yelled. "Only two remain, with just four minutes left to our last two champions!"

Lily began to feel a little desperate, when, right in front of her, a Silver Snitch fluttered, just within her reach. She snatched for it, but the little ball darted out of the way and began speeding towards the ground. Lily panicked in a half-second's hesitation—if Amanda saw it, she would catch it—but dives, anything involving falling from a great height—

"Morgan seems to have seen a Snitch!" McLaggen yelled.

Lily dove after her Snitch, extending one arm past her Shield Charm. The little silver ball seemed to sense her coming after it, and tried to escape—

"Amanda Morgan catches her Silver Snitch!"

Lily felt her fingers close around the Snitch she was chasing, and half a second later collided hard with the pitch, unable to pull out of her dive. The crowd yelled, though whether it was for her or Amanda, Lily couldn't tell. She rolled onto her back, staring up at the fluttering Golden Snitches as she tried to catch her breath. She felt warm stickiness on her jaw, and touched a hand to it. Her cut had been bleeding.

"And Lily Potter catches hers as well, she takes a hard landing, but is the second to touch down, followed closely by Miss Morgan!" McLaggen's voice boomed. "An exciting finish to the first task! Well played, champions, well played!" The crowd screamed and cheered.

Madam Hooch had run back onto the field and was Summoning the Snitches back into their golden cages. Lily sat up, shaking her head, got to her feet and hurried over to where Melanie and Amanda stood.

"Are you okay?" Amanda asked. "That was a hard landing." She clutched her Snitch in her left hand as she cradled her right arm. A large scrape on her hand was bleeding.

Lily nodded, checking on her own Snitch. It fluttered its wings, grasped firmly in her hand. "Shield Charm, I'm fine, are you all right?" she asked, gesturing to Amanda's arm.

Amanda glanced darkly at Melanie. "I'll be fine," she muttered.

"Champions, report to the tent while the judges deliberate!" Mr. McLaggen called. Amanda and Lily grinned at each other and started walking to the purple tent they had come from, followed by Melanie.

"Lovely flying," Melanie said as she passed them.

"Thanks, you too," Amanda said, her lip curling. "Hope you're not hurt."

Melanie looked back, eyes wide. She seemed to notice Amanda's injury for the first time. "Oh my," she said in a tone of great surprise. "I 'ope you are all right?" she asked. Lily frowned, disliking Melanie more by the second.

"In here, ladies!" Madam Pomfrey called. Melanie hurried ahead and entered first. Lily was moving much more slowly. She still didn't like flying, even less so now that she knew what a fall from a broomstick felt like.

"You won't be doing that again anytime soon," Amanda said, smiling at her. Lily looked up. "You don't play Quidditch, do you?" she asked.

Lily shook her head. "I had to have a couple lessons."

"Well, you did really well," Amanda told her as they entered the tent.

"Thanks," Lily smiled. "So did you. You would have beaten me to the ground, too, if I hadn't crashed." Amanda laughed.

"Over here, Miss Morgan," Madam Pomfrey said, gesturing to one of three cots that appeared to have been conjured while the task was going on. Melanie sat on one, her injuries healed already, looking very bored. Amanda walked over and sat down, allowing Madam Pomfrey to tend to her arm. Lily went to sit on the unoccupied one, gingerly touching a hand to her cut cheek. It stung, and Lily winced.

"Broken wrist," Madam Pomfrey muttered. "You'll be all right," she told Amanda, conjuring long strips of white cloth to bind her hand with. "You can take the bandages off tomorrow, and be good as new." Madam Pomfrey tied an extra strip around Amanda's neck and placed her arm in it, creating a sling.

Then she turned to Lily, scrutinizing her carefully. "That was a nasty landing," she commented. "Did you hit your head?"

"No, I had a Shield Charm up," Lily told her.

"Smart girl," Madam Pomfrey said. She pointed her wand at Lily's cheek, and Lily felt a warm sensation, knowing that her cut had been mended. "Any other pain?"

"I'm fine," Lily said insistently.

"I'll decide that, Miss Potter," Madam Pomfrey said, a small smile on her lips.

"Champions, please return to the pitch for scoring!" cried Cormac McLaggen.

Madam Pomfrey sighed, sounding exasperated. "All right, all three of you may go."

Melanie leapt to her feet and hurried out of the tent. Lily stood as well, but waited for Amanda, who got up a little delicately, but grinned at Lily. They left the tent in quick strides.

In the very center of the stands stood the judges table. Professor McGonagall sat in the middle, with Professor Bishop and Madame Maxime on either side. Cormac McLaggen and Aunt Hermione sat on each end. Lily stared up at them all. Professor McGonagall's jaw was set in a way that meant she was either furious or incredibly happy, but didn't want to show. Aunt Hermione looked very white, but smiled at Lily as their eyes met.

"For Miss Chevalier, the first to catch her Snitch and land," called Mr. McLaggen. Melanie lifted her Snitch high above her head, to the cheers of the Beauxbatons students. "Out of a possible ten for each judge, she is awarded…"

Aunt Hermione raised her wand above her head and shot a streak of silver ribbon into the air, which twisted into a number nine. The Beauxbatons students cheered. Professor Bishop raised his wand—eight. Professor McGonagall awarded an eight and a half. Madame Maxime—nine and a half. Cormac McLaggen gave her another nine.

"Excellent," he called, tallying up the scores. "Points off, certainly, for that collision, but an excellent showing from our Beauxbatons champion, Melanie Chevalier!" The crowd cheered. "Forty-four out of fifty points! Now, Miss Morgan was the second to catch her Snitch, but third to land. Let's see what our judges say."

Lily bit her lip, watching the numbers go up. Eight and a half, nine, eight, seven and a half, eight.

"Forty-one of fifty for Amanda Morgan of Salem Witches Institute!" cried McLaggen. "And for Miss Potter, last to catch the Snitch, but second to land," he said. Lily's cheeks burned and she moved her gaze to Aunt Hermione.

After a moment, Hermione fired a silvery number eight above her head. Seven and a half from Professor Bishop, eight and a half from Professor McGonagall, eight from Madame Maxime, and another eight from Cormac McLaggen.

"Well, there you have it, everyone, in an astonishingly close finish, Lily Potter of Hogwarts School takes third just a point shy of our second place champion! Congratulations to our fine champions! Excellent performance!" McLaggen called out over the crowd, who cheered wildly.

"See?" Amanda said, turning to Lily. "You did really well!"

"So did you," Lily told her, her heart sinking. Third place…

"LILY!" She spun around only to be tackled by six overexcited Gryffindor seventh-years, tearing across the pitch at the front of a mass of celebrating students.

"That was awesome!" Andrew Wood cried. He looked positively beside himself.

"Really great flying, Lils!" Roxanne told her, giving her a tight embrace.

"Yeah, but don't ever ask me to do it again," Lily told her with a reluctant grin.

"What are you talking about? You're a natural!" said Henry, practically lifting her off the ground in a massive hug.

"Henry and I are sneaking down to the kitchens, we're having a celebration in the common room!" Roxy told her excitedly, and Lily felt a twinge of unhappiness as she watched Roxy and Henry run off.

"Great job, Lily," Michael said. "I knew you could do it."

"Thanks, Mike," Lily said, hugging him. She caught sight of Alice and Hugo, standing just behind Michael, and released him.

Alice's face broke into a wide grin. "You were amazing!" she squealed, leaping into Lily's arms.

"Really brilliant, Lily," Hugo said, giving Lily a hug when Alice had relinquished her hold. "You were fantastic."

"Third place," Lily said, shrugging.

"You'll do better next time," Alice said encouragingly. "It was only the first task, and you're just a few points behind the others." Lily nodded. A great cheer rose behind her, and Lily turned to see Melanie being hoisted atop her friends' shoulders, who were yelling and cheering loudly in French.

"Come on, Lils," Hugo said. Alice wrapped an arm around Lily's waist, still holding Michael's hand, and the four of them walked back up the lawn to the castle.


	13. Charms

*le gasp*

SHE RETURNS! CAN IT BE? Ah, but yes, my friends. Here I am to present the exciting middle...end...rest of the story! XD Only took me a million years. I TOLD YOU I'D HAVE IT BACK BY THE END OF THE MONTH!

A few brief notes for people just returning for this chapter; there is no character of Delilah Malfoy any longer; I apologize for that, but her role's been taken over by an equally unpleasant girl. Also, I have corrected my error, Lorcan and Lysander *are* twins, but it changes nothing serious about the story.

Also, I'm not going to do daily updates on this story, I'm going to do every other day, since the chapters are longer and it's an actual consecutive story.

Other than that...ENJOY! Thank you for being so patient :)

Lucy

* * *

><p>Chapter Thirteen<p>

Charms

Gryffindor House was fairly happy with their champion, as it turned out. At the very least, there was a large celebration for Lily in the common room after the task. She suspected that her fellow Gryffindors felt that, as the smallest House in the school, they had to stick together. There was also a great deal of food and drinks nicked from the kitchens, which was sure to have garnered a great deal of their attentions as well. Whatever the reason, Lily appreciated their support regardless of her own disappointment.

On the Saturday morning after the task, Lily left the Great Hall with Hugo and Alice after breakfast. As they crossed the entrance hall, they passed Aunt Hermione, who was on her way out the castle doors. They hurried over to say goodbye, and Aunt Hermione hugged each of them.

"Wonderful job yesterday, Lily," she said. "I'm proud of you."

Lily smiled slightly. "Thanks," she said.

Aunt Hermione frowned at Hugo, not releasing him from her embrace. She took him by the chin, examining his dark circles and pale skin, marks of Hugo's late nights at Animagus studies. "Are you all right, sweetheart? You don't look well."

"Just a cold, Mum, I'm fine," Hugo said hurriedly, pulling away from her.

Aunt Hermione frowned. "Will you go see Madam Pomfrey if it gets worse?" Hugo nodded, and his mother nodded. "All right, then. I love you, and I'll see you all at the second task."

"You're not coming to the Yule Ball?" Hugo asked.

"No need to sound so disappointed," Aunt Hermione said, chuckling. "But no, I won't be there. The Ball's your night; you don't need your family there watching you. We'll be with everyone else at the Burrow, missing all of you," she said, smiling at Alice and Lily. The Longbottoms were frequent fixtures at Weasley-Potter Christmases.

"See if you can't get my dad to go with you," Alice said jokingly. "He's weird enough about Michael already."

Aunt Hermione laughed. "I'll see what I can do," she promised. "All right, I really have to leave. Good luck with your clue," she said to Lily, "and have a magnificent time at the Yule Ball." She gave each of them a final hug before hurrying out the castle doors.

When they had said their goodbyes, Alice, Lily, and Hugo returned to Gryffindor tower. A group of fourth-year girls passed them in the portrait hole and waved at Lily. She smiled halfheartedly.

"Either of you want a game of chess?" Hugo asked when they had arrived in the common room.

Alice sighed, looking disgruntled. "I guess. It's too cold to go out, anyway. Do you want to go first?" she asked Lily, who was looking out the window at the gray-white skies. She turned and stared at Alice for a moment, coming out of her reverie.

"I don't think I will," Lily said. "I…I think I want to work on my clue."

"Oh," said Alice. "Okay, well, that's fine. We'll be here if you need us," she said. Lily nodded and smiled, then hurried up the stairs to the girls' dormitory.

When she got to her room, Lily was pleased to find it empty, and flopped face-first onto her bed. How could she have forgotten about the Yule Ball? She would be expected to have a date, of course. She got up and stared at her reflection. Her dark, reddish-brown hair was uncombed, but clean, tied away from her face in a slightly disheveled knot, as was her custom. Her robes hung a little loose, probably because she'd been a gigantic bundle of frayed nerves for nearly two weeks. She still scowled at her waist.

Lily pressed her hands against her cheeks, leaning in to inspect her face. She was far too pale. Her bright brown eyes, just like Mum and Gran's, the only feature she liked about herself, stood out sharply against her white skin. She was beginning to see why Alice had been so worried about her. Her complexion was clear for now, mercifully. Lily bit her lip and stood straight, sucking in her middle.

Who could she get to go to the Yule Ball with her? She knew who she'd like to take…but it seemed largely impossible. And she doubted that he would ask her. She heard someone on the stairs went back to her bed, kneeling in front of her trunk, pretending to look for something as Jocasta came in.

As kind as the Gryffindors may have been to her, when Lily returned to classes on Monday, she quickly found that the rest of the school was no longer so welcoming to a third-place champion. Lily couldn't count the times she felt the burn of her fellow students' eyes on her as she sat in her classes, at meals without eating, or studying in the library with Alice and Hugo. The more Lily noticed their attitudes, the angrier she found herself feeling.

It wasn't as though Lily didn't deeply feel the embarrassment of having come in last. On the contrary, she had thought of almost nothing else since the task ended, Yule Ball anxieties aside. Even worse was watching the other champions who had beaten her. It was plain to see that Melanie, as the winner, and Amanda, as the injured heroine of the first task, were greatly celebrated, even by other Hogwarts students.

Lorcan was the only one who wasn't in Gryffindor that believed in her. Lily found herself staring at him more and more in classes, and every now and then, their eyes would meet, and they would blush and look away. He'd congratulated her on the first task on the Monday after, and ever since, they had begun sitting next to each other in every class. It was enough to take her mind off her tournament worries, if only for a moment.

But it was hard, especially when Lily knew that her performance was mediocre at best. Despite her friends' best efforts, she felt ostracized and mistrusted by her schoolmates. She began to spend more and more of her time in her dormitory, avoiding the Great Hall as much as she could. As she sat in the dormitory, Lily would take out the Silver Snitch, and watch it flap around. It was a clue, she knew that much. But as she watched the little ball flutter around, night after night, she only grew more frustrated and annoyed when she couldn't figure out what it could be.

One night, Hugo was at his lesson with Professor McGonagall. Lily lay on her bed after leaving Michael and Alice downstairs, not wanting to intrude on their privacy. She pulled out the Snitch, but did not release it into the air, instead bringing it close to her eyes. There were strange little markings scored into the silver, which she had noticed before, but not paid attention to. They looked like…runes. Lily leapt up excitedly and hurried downstairs, looking for Jocasta and begging to borrow her Ancient Runes book.

"What do you need it for?" Jocasta asked as they climbed the stairs back up to the dormitory.

Lily held up the Snitch. "I think it could help me with this," she said, following Jocasta in the door.

Jocasta's face lit up. "Really? Do you want my help?"

Lily bit her lip as she watched Jocasta fish through her bag for the book. "Er…I'll be okay, Jo, but thanks," she said.

"Don't mention it!" Jocasta straightened and gave her the book. "Good luck." And she left the dormitory, leaving Lily alone. Lily sat down on the bed and started flipping through the pages, releasing the Snitch to circle around her head. After almost a quarter of an hour, Lily slammed the book shut and glowered up at little fluttering ball. She couldn't find any runes that resembled the markings on the Snitch. Lily snatched the ball from the air and hurled it into her trunk, slamming the lid down on top of it, and fell back on her bed.

To make matters worse, over the next few weeks, the castle was abuzz with talk of the Yule Ball. New couples were springing up daily, and Lily wondered if she was going to end up going with anyone at all. Michael and Alice were paired off immediately, as were Henry and Roxanne, and one day in Arithmancy, Erasmus Helfer announced to his awestruck Hufflepuff friends that he would be taking Melanie Chevalier.

Alice kept insisting that Lily should just find a date on her own.

"I think you should just ask him," Alice told her one night in the dormitory as she lay on her bed, watching Lily's Snitch flap overhead.

"No, Alice—" Lily realized what she was saying and turned red. She took a breath and put on a would-be casual voice. "Ask who?"

"Oh, please," Alice said. She sat up, grabbed the Snitch from the air, and tossed it at Lily, who caught it. "Just ask Lorcan. You know you want to."

"I don't know anything of the kind," Lily said, annoyed. She dropped the Snitch back in her trunk and got up to brush her teeth and get ready for bed.

As the weeks went on, Lily's existing bad mood about the clue to the second task and her standing in the tournament worsened, and gossip about dates and dress robes made her even grouchier. She had never been one to have a quick temper, but lately she found herself wanting to lash out at any and everyone.

Four weeks after the first task, the final week of term, Lily received a letter at breakfast. She gave Calliope a bit of her own toast and watched her take off, soaring through the windows. She looked back at the letter, and her heart sank.

"What is it?" Alice asked, frowning.

"It's from James and Albus," Lily answered. She unfolded the parchment and began to read.

_Lily,_

_Hey! Sorry it took so long to write—we've been really busy here. I'm so proud of you! I don't think either of us is totally sure what the bloody hell you were thinking, but we're really proud, too! You're awesome! We heard about the first task—don't let it get you down. You'll do better in the next two, and then—_

(Here James' writing took over Albus's)

_We'll finally admit we're related to you!_

(Albus seemed to have taken the quill back)

_Ignore dung-for-brains. You're the best, Lily. Have fun at the Yule Ball. I know you're going to be an amazing champion, no matter what._

_Love,_

_Al and James_

Rather than being cheered by her brothers' message, Lily felt worse, even angry. Hugo reached for the letter, and he laughed as he read it.

"See? If those two are happy, you know you're all right," Hugo said, passing the note to Alice. "Now, eat something, will you?"

"I'm not hungry," Lily told him, glowering down at the tabletop.

She heard a loud sigh of exasperation. "Lily, that's enough." Alice looked very annoyed and punctuated her displeasure by slapping her hand on the tabletop. "We know you're upset about the first task," she said, "but it's time for you to move on. You've got two more, and you've barely had any luck on figuring out the second yet. In case you haven't noticed, you've got a lot more people supporting you than not. So stop listening to everyone else and start listening to me, Hugo, and your brothers!"

Alice shook the letter in Lily's face, color flooding her cheeks as she gathered steam. Hugo edged away from her. "Albus told you he's proud of you! If you don't want third place _again_," Alice said, and Lily glared at her, "you need to start acting and thinking like a champion."

Lily looked away, feeling her neck growing hot as she resisted the urge to snap back.

"I want you to win this thing," Alice said. She glanced over at the Ravenclaw table. Melanie was, predictably, being showered with the attentions of her fellow Beauxbatons students. "But I'm telling you right now that you won't do that if you keep moping about one bad day. And as for the Yule Ball, I keep telling you, you are more than capable of getting yourself a date."

Lily sighed exasperatedly. "All right," she said finally. She got up, picking up her bag.

"Don't be angry, Lily," Alice said, throwing one hand up and looking frustrated.

"I'm not," Lily told her, only half-lying. "I just have to go to class." And she left them, despite the fact that they had class together, hurrying out of the hall. She got to Charms early, and stood in the corridor on her own, watching the snow falling outside one of the small windows. Alice was right, she told herself. She should apologize.

But how could anyone expect her to become an entirely new person? She couldn't help feeling incapable, once again. Alice's words burned in her stomach. Lily had never before considered how much she truly wanted to win this tournament. She'd accepted that she didn't belong, and had resigned herself to not measuring up. But something about seeing Melanie and Amanda celebrated, feeling the disappointed stares of her classmates, knowing that even her family didn't expect her to win, was starting to wear on her temper and patience.

But _how_ was she going to do this?

"Could I be a bigger idiot?" Lily groaned, pressing her head against the wall.

"Hello, Lily," said a voice to her left. Lily jumped and turned to see Lorcan, smiling at her.

"Hi," Lily answered, feeling her cheeks grow hot. "How are you, Lorcan?"

"Just fine, thanks," Lorcan told her, stepping closer. "Listen, I wanted—"

"Potter and Scamander, how…appropriate." Andrea Moon stood in front of the classroom, her eyebrow arched. The rest of the class was starting to queue behind her. Lily saw Alice and Hugo watching the scene warily.

As Andrea smirked, something inside Lily snapped.

"Andrea, leave me alone," Lily said in a low voice.

"Or what? Going to tell on me to your dad?" Andrea asked mockingly.

"No," Lily said slowly, looking down, then back into Andrea's eyes. Her pulse throbbed in her ears. "But I wouldn't exactly have a problem with jinxing you."

"Try it," Andrea hissed. She drew her wand, and Lily reached for hers, ready to curse Andrea for every insult, cruelty, and slight in the last seven years.

"Miss Moon, I'm surprised at you," Professor Flitwick said. He had just opened the door of his classroom to see Andrea's wand aimed over his head. Lily released her own wand before she even got it out of her pocket. "Ten points from Slytherin."

Andrea opened her mouth angrily.

"I'll take more, if that suits you better," Professor Flitwick squeaked, looking stern. "No magic in the corridors." And with that, he gestured for the class to enter the room. Lily felt a grin spreading across her face, and a wave of lightheadedness washed over her. She felt giddy with exhilaration. It was most definitely not her way to engage Andrea, but it had certainly felt good to get even a taste of retribution.

Lily followed the others into the classroom and sat down at the back. She saw Andrea scowling at the front of the room with Danielle, and flashed them a brilliant smile. She felt amazing, freer and more powerful than she had since she put her name in the Goblet of Fire. Lorcan sat down beside her, and she had a sudden desire to act upon a whim.

"Oh, Lily," Lorcan said suddenly, turning to face her. Lily had to stop her mouth from falling open. "I wanted to ask you—do you think I could borrow your notes from the last lesson?"

Lily's heart sank. "Of—of course, Lorcan," she said with a soft smile, her boldness deflating. She rummaged through her bag and pulled out the parchment.

"Thanks," Lorcan said, touching her arm and grinning. "I appreciate it."

"Anytime," Lily said.

"Enough chatter back there, thank you," Professor Flitwick called. Lily and Lorcan faced front, though Lily did a very poor job of paying attention that day.

When they were dismissed, Lily walked alone to Transfiguration, careful to remain out of Lorcan's line of sight. She met up with Alice and Hugo, who frowned at her distressed expression.

"What's up?" Hugo asked.

"Nothing," Lily muttered, though she couldn't stop herself from sending a half-glance in Lorcan's direction. Alice looked over at Lorcan, who was laughing with Erasmus Helfer and Cordelia Gramercy, and turned back to Lily. Before she could say anything, however, Professor Macmillan opened the classroom door, and the class filed in.

This interruption did little to dissuade Alice Longbottom. After class, she dragged Lily into the bathroom, her eyes bright.

"Did you ask him?" she demanded. "Did he turn you down?" If Lily had not been so miserable, she would have laughed at Alice's reflexive reach for her wand.

As it was, she sighed and shook her head. "I couldn't do it. I wanted to ask, but I didn't." Alice said nothing, so Lily stuffed her book in her bag, hoping that she would be able to leave without further explanation. She looked up at Alice. "I'm really sorry I snapped at you this morning, too. You were only helping," she said. "Besides, you were right. I've been an idiot about the tournament."

"Yeah, you kind of have," Alice chuckled, and Lily tried to smile for her.

"It'll be okay, though," said Lily. "I'll find someone to go with. Maybe the giant squid is free for Christmas."

"Oh, Lily," Alice said, throwing her arms around Lily's shoulders. "Don't say that. You're going to find someone. Someone _wonderful_," she promised.

Lily shrugged, hugging her best friend tightly. "It won't be the end of the world if I don't," she said, though the ache in her stomach suggested otherwise.

Alice pulled back and held Lily at arm's length, examining her. Then she smoothed Lily's bun with a smile and turned to check her reflection in the mirror. Lily leaned in to scrutinize her own face, frowning slightly.

Suddenly aware of Alice's eyes on her, Lily looked around. "What?" she asked, touching a hand to her hair self-consciously.

"Nothing," Alice said, smiling kindly.

"_What?_" Lily asked again.

"Lorcan would be lucky to have you," Alice told her. "If he wasn't such a flobberworm."

Lily turned pink and sighed. "Thanks," she said, feeling a bit more lighthearted.


	14. The Yule Ball

Chapter Fourteen

The Yule Ball

At long, long last, term ended, and Lily found that nearly all of the Gryffindors over third year were staying for the Yule Ball. Lily herself had never stayed at Hogwarts for Christmas—it was strange to think that she would be celebrating without her family this year.

On the first Sunday of the holiday, all the sixth and seventh-year girls slept in. Lily was the first up after Roxanne, finally stumbling downstairs to the common room at nearly noon, wrapped in her yellow bathrobe.

She dropped into an armchair by the fire, then yelped when she saw Roxanne entwined with Henry Boot in the seat next to hers.

"Oh, honestly," Lily said, getting up. "You two really need to find a more private space."

"It _was_ private till you came in, Potter," said Henry angrily.

Lily glared at him. "Shut up, Boot."

"Both of you, knock it off," Roxanne said. She got up and took Henry's hand. "Let's get some lunch," she told him. "Sorry, Lily," Roxy said shortly as they pushed past her.

Lily stuck her tongue out at Henry's retreating back and sat down, huffing angrily. She had been in a particularly foul mood, for several reasons; first, they were days away from the ball, and she still had not managed to find a date; second, she had learned the other day that Lorcan would be going with Cordelia Gramercy. This, more than anything else, had occupied her thoughts for several days.

In fact, it was due to some rather dark muttering about Ravenclaws and dates and Impediment Jinxes that Lily did not notice Andrew Wood until he sat down next to her.

"Hey, Lily," he said, and she jumped, her arms and legs uncrossing from a very tight knot.

"Oh—hi, Andrew," she said, giving him a smile. "Happy Christmas."

Andrew grinned. "Happy Christmas. Nice to be on holiday, isn't it?" he asked brightly, and Lily nodded.

"I—er…I wanted to ask you something," Andrew said, as if he were trying not to embarrass himself. Lily frowned and sat up, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. Andrew took a deep breath, closing his eyes. He looked very anxious, and Lily reached out to touch his arm.

"Are you all—"

"D'you want to go to the ball with me?" he asked loudly, startling Lily and a few second-years by the window, who looked around in alarm.

Lily's mouth fell open. "Oh," she said in surprise. "I—well—"

Andrew looked shocked with himself. "I'm sorry," he said immediately. "I just—neither of us had anyone—I thought it'd be kind of—" He blushed a brilliant scarlet and leapt to his feet. "I'll see you later, Lily—"

"Andrew," Lily said gently, smiling at him. "Yes."

"What?" he asked, staring at her, his color lessening a bit.

Lily took a breath. "I'll go to the ball with you," she said. "I think it'd be really fun."

"Yeah?" Andrew asked eagerly, and Lily nodded. "Brilliant," he said excitedly, running a hand through his brown hair. "I'll—er—I'll see you—uh, later, I guess!" he said excitedly, and very suddenly, he had grabbed Lily and pulled her into a warm hug. She was surprised at first, but slowly began to relax. She patted his back and smiled, returning the embrace. Andrew backed up, grinning, and Lily waved at him as he hurried off up the stairs to the boys' dormitory.

She sat down again, biting her lip. Andrew was very sweet, she thought, and good-looking as well. A lot of girls had their eye on him, she knew. Lily even vaguely remembered having a crush on him, some time in second year, she realized with a shock. Perhaps he _was_ the better choice, she mused. They had been casual friends for some time, after all. And, thinking of his kind, protective hug, Lily smiled.

On Christmas Eve, everyone had dinner in the Great Hall, pulling wizard crackers, gossiping about the ball, and exchanging gifts between Houses. Lily saw Erasmus Helfer cozying up to Melanie at the Ravenclaw table, which was earning him glares from Beauxbatons and Ravenclaw boys alike, and Lily smirked. She noticed Amanda stealing glances to the Gryffindor table, and Lily frowned, wondering whom Amanda would go to the ball with.

Lily caught Andrew's eye where he was just walking into the Great Hall. He waved, and she smiled at him. A crowd of Beauxbatons boys crossed between the tables, blocking Lily's view. Then, she was distracted by Hugo, who let out a moan of happiness as he worked on his third treacle tart. Professor McGonagall had given him the holidays off, and he was celebrating to his heart's content. Lily snickered at the expression on his face.

"Well?" Molly said, sliding into the seat next to Lily. Lucy was right behind her.

"Well what?" Lily asked.

"Are you really going with Andrew?" Lucy demanded, sounding positively thrilled.

"Why?" Lily asked, frowning.

"You _are!_" Molly shrieked.

"What?" asked Lily. "I mean, yes, I'm going with him, but so—"

"Hey, Lily," Andrew said, sitting down beside her and grinning. "Hi Lucy, Molly."

Lucy and Molly's smiles were luminescent, and they said hello simultaneously. Lily rolled her eyes, chuckling, and turned to smile at Andrew.

"Have some of the soup, it's delicious," she told him, and he smiled at her. Lily blushed, much to her surprise, although that may have been due to the loud outburst of giggles from behind her. She gave Molly her best glare.

"All right, all right, who are you two going with, then?" Alice asked, diffusing the situation quickly.

"Charlie Creevey _finally_ asked her," Lucy supplied before Molly could speak. "And I'm going with Lysander." Lucy looked expectantly at the other Gryffindors.

Michael and Alice, who were sitting next to each other, raised their hands. Roxy smiled slyly at Henry, and Lily rolled her eyes. Andrew laughed, choking on his soup, and she patted him on the back worriedly.

Lucy frowned. "I keep forgetting there are only a few of you in Gryffindor," she said, performing a quick count. "Wait…Hugo, who are _you_ taking?" she asked excitedly, leaning across the table.

Hugo was very focused on choosing an apple from the basket in the middle of the table. "Nobody," he said casually, picking one up.

Lucy's face fell. "You're not taking a date? Hugo, why didn't you say something, we could've helped you find one!" she cried, gesturing to Molly, Alice, and Lily.

Hugo shrugged. "You didn't need to," he said. "It's not a big deal."

Still, as Lily walked back to Gryffindor Tower after dinner, she couldn't help but feel a little guilty. She'd been so focused on her own problems that she hadn't paid attention to Hugo. She hadn't even asked if he was looking for a date. But when Lily held him back in the common room and tried to apologize, Hugo waved it away.

"Lily, the Yule Ball would be fun whether or not I had a date," Hugo told her.

"I just—"

"Lily, stop," Hugo said. "It's fine. It's going to be a lot of fun." He stretched and yawned, heading for the boys' staircase. "I'll see you tomorrow. Bring Alice and Molly and Rox over for your presents. Night!"

And just like that, Hugo vanished up the stairs. Lily rolled her eyes and climbed up to the girls' dormitory. She emptied her robes of her prizes from the wizard crackers; a pocket Sneakoscope, three trick wands, and a very pretty golden scarf made of silk. Then she dropped her wand on her bedside table and put on her pajamas, saying good night to the other girls.

Lily hurried into bed, tugging the blankets close around her and rolling on her side to look out the window. It was a beautiful night. Snow swirled past the windows. Lily smiled to herself and closed her eyes, dreaming of the ball tomorrow, and of dancing with Andrew.

On Christmas morning, everyone exchanged gifts excitedly. Alice adored the silver necklace Lily had bought for her, and Lily received a pair of earrings made of peacock feathers.

"I thought they'd look nice with your robes for tonight," Alice said as Lily hugged her. All in all, it was a lovely morning. Lily spent most of the day by the fire, reading _Numerology and Its Uses in Traditional Wandmaking_, Hugo's present to her. At almost six o'clock, Roxanne came rushing down the stairs, looking all around.

"Lily, what are you doing?" Roxy demanded. She had already applied her makeup and was attaching one topaz-colored earring. "Come on, you have to get ready," she said, grabbing Lily's arm.

Lily wrestled free. "What are you talking about? I only need to put my robes on, and it's just barely six o'clock!"

"No, no, no," said Roxy. "You're the champion. You're representing Hogwarts, you're representing Gryffindor, and you're representing our family. You're not going anywhere without makeup and a hairstyle." Lily couldn't help but laugh, until Roxy took a menacing step towards her.

Lily got up and followed her cousin meekly up to the dormitory. All the girls were hurrying about, fixing hair, laying out robes, and brushing on makeup.

"Oh, thank goodness," Alice said in a relieved voice, hurrying forward. Her pink-toned makeup was flawless. "Are your robes still in your trunk?" Lily nodded, and Alice hurried away to retrieve the box.

"All right," Roxy said, steering Lily over to her own bed. "Now sit, and don't move. I've been dying to play with your hair since we were five."

"That's weird, Rox," Lily said, laughing. "Wait, can't I sit in front of the mirror?"

"Nope, you're a backseat flier," said Roxy. "But just trust me, you'll like what I'm doing."

Lily frowned as she felt her hair being pulled free, watching Alice frowning as she steamed the dress robes free of wrinkles with the tip of her wand. Alice broke the charm that kept them suspended in the air and carried them over to Lily, holding them up in front of her as if assessing their appearance.

"Lily, did these fit you when we bought them?" Alice asked.

"Yeah," answered Lily. "Why?"

"Well, they certainly won't now," Alice told her. Lily blanched.

"I haven't—"

"No, no," said Alice quickly. "These are too big for you." She smiled at Lily.

Lily blushed. "Well, what am I supposed to wear?" she asked. "I don't have any other robes."

"Hey, don't move!" Roxy said, whapping her head. Lily glared balefully up at her. "We'll just have someone fix them for you. Who here does well with charms like that?" she addressed the room at large.

Molly and Jocasta raised their hands.

"All right, you two. As soon as I finish her hair, be ready to help with her robes," Roxy barked.

"I feel like somebody's pet in a show," Lily grumbled. Alice smiled and leaned in closer with a makeup brush.

After an hour and a half of primping and pawing at her, Lily watched Roxy remove her own ring and place it on Lily's hand. It bore the Hogwarts crest, something that Roxy had picked up, undoubtedly in one of her odd little secondhand shops that she liked so much.

Then she stepped back, and the others gathered around her as if to admire the effect of their work. Lily sat up straight in her newly tailored robes, and couldn't help admiring how nice they all looked.

Alice was wearing satin robes of pale pink, and had decorated her short blonde hair with silvery stars. The necklace Lily had given her hung at her throat. Molly was in a dark, forest-green set of robes that set off the flaming orange-red of her hair and hugged her form tightly. Jocasta wore peach robes of silk, cut far too low, but she still looked dignified and radiant. And Roxanne was perhaps the most stunning of all. She had smoothed out her long, black hair, and robes of a bright violet offset her olive skin and green eyes.

"Perfect," Alice said. "But…" she hurried over to Lily's bedside table and picked up the box with the peacock earrings. She came over and affixed them to Lily's ears.

There was a murmur of admiration from the girls. "Those are great," Roxy said, smiling at Lily. "Andrew's not going to know what to do with himself."

"Can I see how I look now?" Lily asked nervously. Roxy nodded and stepped aside.

When Lily stood in front of the mirror, she didn't see herself. There was a girl with very long dark red hair that hung down her back, with two intricately braided pieces held back at her temples. She wore robes of a magnificent blue that matched the eyes of the feathers that hung in her ears. Her makeup was simple, much less than Lily remembered Alice applying, but it lit up her brown eyes. The robes were perfect, thanks to Jocasta and Molly. They were fitted at her waist, with a square neckline and sleeves that hugged her upper arms.

The girl's pink lips fell open, and Lily turned back to the others. Alice looked fit to burst, and Roxy couldn't stop smiling.

"That's a champion," Jocasta said, folding her arms and looking very satisfied.

There was a knock at the door, and Roxy called for them to come in.

"Hey, the boys are waiting," said Anna Finnigan, dressed in golden robes and looking very excited. "You should all come downstairs, they want to go!"

One by one, chatting excitedly, they all filed out of the dormitory. Lily hurried to follow Molly down the stairs. The girls were already greeting their dates—Henry and Roxy rather enthusiastically. Lily looked around for Hugo, but didn't see him. She pointed this out to Alice.

"He probably went downstairs already," she said, looking around as well.

"He's down there with Andrew," Henry called helpfully as he and Roxanne left, and Alice nodded.

"Come on, then," she said, seizing Lily by the elbow. She took Michael's arm at the portrait hole, and Lily followed them.

As they got closer to the entrance hall, Lily saw more and more students in their finest robes. She stopped near the top of the stairs when she looked down into the entrance hall and saw Andrea Moon, dressed in sharply cut robes of black silk, her hair, wrists, neck, and ears adorned with diamonds and emeralds. She held onto Maxwell Avery's arm, a haughty look on her face. Danielle trailed after her with Damian Nott, looking equally superior.

Lily waited until she saw them go in, and then started down the stairs. She passed Lucy and Lysander. Lucy didn't seem to recognize her at first, but when she did, her mouth fell open and she smiled. She pointed down the staircase, and Lily looked to the castle doors, which stood open.

Andrew was standing before the doorway, dressed in simply cut black robes, complete with plain silver ornamentation. Lily smiled, and Andrew waved at her. She hurried down the steps and stopped in front of him.

"You look beautiful, Lily," he said, taking her hands and surveying her.

"So do you," Lily answered. Then she blushed. "I mean—" she started to giggle, and Andrew smiled.

"Champions!" cried Professor Shacklebolt, hurrying into the entrance hall. "Champions, with me!" The rest of the students who were still filing into the Great Hall glanced around as the professor flew past them. Lily looked up at Andrew, who offered his arm, and they followed Professor Shacklebolt back to the stairs.

Lily smiled at Erasmus Helfer and Melanie, who looked very happy together.

"Hey," said an excited voice behind her, and Lily turned to see Amanda with a tall, handsome, red-haired boy who was positively beaming.

"Hugo," Lily gasped, her jaw dropping.

"Hey, Lils," Hugo said. "You look really nice."

Lily laughed and looked between them. "You said you weren't taking anyone, you prat!" she said to Hugo.

"No," Hugo said. "No, no, Molly and Luce said that."

"You didn't correct them!" said Lily, laughing. Andrew chuckled beside her, and she turned to him. "Did you know about this?" she asked in mock outrage.

Andrew laughed. "Probably not, to judge from that reaction," he said, and Lily bumped his shoulder playfully.

"Well, he wasn't lying," Amanda said, grinning at Hugo. "I asked him. I didn't know he was your cousin," she added. "He just seemed like a good guy. Who's this?" she asked, looking at Andrew.

"Oh—right—Andrew Wood, this is Amanda Morgan," Lily said.

"Nice to meet you," said Andrew.

"You too," Amanda said, shaking his hand.

"Ladies and gentlemen, your attention, please," Professor Shacklebolt called, stepping onto the staircase so she could see them all. "You will line up and enter the Great Hall, and you will all share the traditional first dance. After that, your duties for the evening are done, and I hope you have a lovely evening. Now, follow me," she said. They all lined up behind her in pairs.

Lily found herself at the front of the line, but before she could pull Andrew to the back, there was the distinct sound of an orchestra starting to play the Hogwarts school song. Lily glanced back at Hugo and Amanda, who both smiled at her, squeezed Andrew's arm, and the champions filed into the hall to a great deal of applause.

All the house tables had been removed; the hall glittered with fairy lights and enchanted icicles that hovered over almost a hundred small, round tables. Lily couldn't stop smiling. She passed the seventh-year Slytherin girls, all of whom were watching her with very sour expressions on their faces.

The champions reached the dance floor just as the enchanted orchestra finished the song, and took positions. Lily nervously took Andrew's hand, and he put one hand at her back, still smiling. Lily caught sight of Lorcan, wearing robes of pure white, standing nearby with Cordelia. She flushed, feeling guilty for being envious. She looked back up at Andrew, who was so kind, so handsome, and beaming at her so widely, that she swore to push Lorcan from her mind completely. A waltz began, and they all danced, Lily nervously at first, but more and more comfortable as Andrew spun her about.

One by one, more couples joined the floor. Professor McGonagall with Professor Bishop, Alice and Michael, Hagrid and Madame Maxime—the dance floor filled with twirling bodies, but Lily had eyes only for Andrew. She didn't even feel dizzy when the music stopped. He really was very good-looking, she thought, as he led her to their table. She was lucky to have him.

Lily could not remember a happier Christmas. She spent the entire evening in Andrew's arms, or touching his hand at dinner, and she didn't think she stopped smiling once—well, except for a few glances over to Lorcan and Cordelia's table. She had never eaten a meal at the head table—or what passed as the head table. The heads of the other schools, as well as Professor McGonagall and many other teachers sat among the champions.

After dinner, Lily followed Andrew onto the dance floor again, where a new band had taken over—Dragonsblood, one of James's favorites, Lily realized. She made a mental note to tease him about it when she saw him.

It was several hours into the ball, nearly time for it to end, when Lily and Andrew finally left the Great Hall. Not many people were still dancing. To her surprise, instead of walking up the front stairs, however, Andrew led her out the front doors, to the courtyard. No one was out there; everyone seemed to have gone off on their own. Lily smiled as Andrew led her to a little stone bench and sat down.

"I had a lot of fun tonight, Lily," he said, holding her hand.

She smiled. "I did too. I'm glad we came together."

"I don't think there's anyone else I wanted to come with," Andrew told her. Then he blushed. "I've…well, I dunno…maybe it's this whole tournament thing, but…you've become different this year. Er—I mean—"

Lily almost laughed. "Andrew…I like you," she said after a moment. It was not a lie; this evening with Andrew had really changed her view of the boy she'd known since her first year. "I think I'd like to keep seeing you."

"I like you too," Andrew said happily. "And I want to keep seeing you, too."

Lily smiled and nodded. "All right, then," she said. She interlocked her fingers with his. He stared fixedly at her for a few moments.

"Do I have something on my face?" Lily asked, touching her cheek self-consciously.

"No, no," Andrew said softly. "It's just…you look really beautiful." He leaned in close, and Lily closed her eyes.

* * *

><p>Lily and Andrew climbed through the portrait hole together, unable to stop smiling. They were halfway across the common room, ready to say goodnight at the foot of the stairs, when Lily heard a sniffle near the fireplace. She frowned and waved for Andrew to go up without her.<p>

"I'll see you tomorrow," she said, and he smiled.

Lily waved again and walked to the hearth, only to see Alice, still in her dress robes, sitting cross-legged on the floor. She had a handkerchief twisted in her lap, and had clearly been crying for some time.

"Alice," Lily said, getting on her knees to come closer. "What happened?"

Alice looked up at her with tear-filled eyes—it was rare to see Alice Longbottom cry—and she threw herself onto Lily's neck. Lily patted her back, letting Alice cry herself out on her shoulder. Then Alice pulled back, wiping her tears.

"M-Michael and I broke up," she said, taking great, shuddering breaths. "He d-doesn't want to be w-with me anymore. We had a fight."

"Oh, Alice, I'm sorry," Lily told her, rubbing her arm. Alice nodded and wiped her tears again.

"I'll b-be all right," she sniffled. Then she looked back at Lily and frowned.

"Did Andrew k-kiss you?" asked Alice. Lily felt terrible about it when Alice was feeling so miserable, but a smile spread across her face, and she blushed. Alice gave a watery laugh. "Well, thank goodness one of us got some snogging tonight," she said finally. Lily laughed and opened her arms, allowing Alice to start crying on her shoulder again.

* * *

><p>Smoochy...teehee! XD Oh Merlin, I am SO not mature enough for this. Naw, but aren't they a cute couple! :) Just like Harry and Cho were a cute couple, right? (Yeah, that's right, that's a big ol' flashing road sign for you, so COOL YER JETS if you're not a fan of these two, and JUST ENJOY THE EXPERIENCE) kay love you. :)<p>

Lucy


	15. The Undiscovered Clue

Chapter Fifteen

The Undiscovered Clue

The holidays ended far too quickly for Lily's liking. By the time Alice was finally starting to feel better and Lily felt less guilty about abandoning her to spend time with Andrew, it was New Year's Day. On top of that, Lily still hadn't managed to figure out a thing about her Snitch. She'd spend hours with Jocasta's rune book, and then still more hours in the library hunting down books on numerology, magical codes, and anything else she could find that would help her decipher the odd little symbols etched into the Snitch, with very little luck.

Worst of all, on the third day back at classes, she was walking with Andrew through the entrance hall to lunch when she saw Alivia Wood, Andrew's little sister, waving madly at her from the staircase. Alivia was short, even for a fourth-year, but she was a powerful Beater on the Gryffindor Quidditch team, so she shoved her way through the crowd of students heading to and from class with ease and presented Lily with a rolled-up piece of parchment.

"Thanks," Lily said.

"What is it?" Andrew asked.

Alivia gave her brother a pointed look and turned back to Lily. "Dunno, Professor Longbottom said I should give it to you," Alivia said, hefting her bag onto her shoulder. "D'you know where Miranda and Melissa are?"

"Who?" Lily asked, utterly nonplussed.

"Oh, bugger, the other champions—I don't know their names," Alivia said, a little rudely. Andrew frowned disapprovingly at her, but she ignored him. "I'm supposed to give them theirs, too." She held up two more scrolls identical to Lily's.

Lily snorted. "Check the Ravenclaw table."

Alivia gave a sigh of relief. "Finally," she said. "Thanks!" Lily watched her go into the Great Hall. Andrew rolled his eyes, shaking his head after his sister.

"So what is it?" he asked curiously, nodding at the scroll in Lily's hand.

"Oh—" Lily had forgotten it. She pulled the little black ribbon free and read the note aloud. "'Dear Miss Potter, for your reference, the second task of the Triwizard Tournament will take place on Saturday, the twenty-first of February at—'" Lily faltered. "'At eleven o'clock that night. Please arrange to be at the champions tent on the edge of the Forbidden Forest no later than ten o'clock on Saturday night.'" Professor McGonagall's signature was just beneath the last line.

"Eleven?" Andrew asked, taking the scroll and frowning at it. "That can't be right."

Lily nodded. "In the forest."

But even the ominous location and time was not enough to displace the growing feeling of dread in Lily's stomach. Her burning desire to win the tournament had long since dissipated in recent weeks in light of her good mood. She'd been so happy with Andrew, she had nearly forgotten about her old discontent, and that she had the tournament to complete.

"Well," said Andrew, rolling up the note again and giving it back. "Now we know why they've waited so long to tell you."

"It doesn't exactly matter, does it? The twenty-first is in about six weeks," Lily mumbled, feeling very distressed. She started up the stairs to the Transfiguration classroom, Andrew half a pace behind her.

"So?" Andrew asked, frowning mildly. "Is that a problem?"

Lily stopped at the top of the stairs and watched a group of first-year Hufflepuffs pass them. She faced Andrew, biting her lip. "Don't tell anyone else," she said in a low voice, "but…I haven't figured out a thing about my clue. I don't know what the task's going to be, and I don't have any idea how to prepare for it."

Andrew frowned. "Okay."

Lily threw one hand up in annoyance. Did he not understand? Didn't he care? "There are these weird little scratches all around the edges of the Snitch, and as far as I can tell, they don't mean a thing," she said exasperatedly. "I know they have to be part of the clue, but they don't look like Runes, or a numerology chart, or anything. They're just—there."

Andrew nodded slowly, and they resumed climbing the stairs. "Well, d'you reckon the task's impossible without the clue?" he asked after a moment.

"What?" asked Lily.

"I mean, how anxious are you about taking first in this tournament?" Andrew asked. "You've said yourself, you didn't really want to be picked. If you don't want to be the champion, it doesn't matter how well you do."

"I—well, that's completely—you're not—" Lily spluttered.

Andrew shrugged. "I'm just saying, how much do you honestly care what people think if you don't do well?" He gestured to the students who were laughing and chatting all around them. "They might be upset for a while, sure, but it doesn't really matter, does it? We'll be leaving here soon, anyway," he added.

They had arrived at the classroom. Lily looked down at the floor, frowning slightly.

"I guess," she said slowly.

"The sooner the tournament's over, the sooner you—both of us—can get on with our lives," said Andrew. Lily stared at him for a few moments, feeling very torn.

_Throw the tournament? Is that allowed?_

"Come along, everyone in!" Professor Macmillan called, sweeping into the corridor. She pointed her wand at the classroom door and it swung open to admit the other students queued up outside. "That means you, Mr. Wood, Miss Potter, come on!"

* * *

><p>Lily lay awake for several hours that night, long after the other girls had gone to sleep, watching her Snitch fly in slow circles above her bed and frowning slightly.<p>

She couldn't stop thinking about what Andrew had said. Could she really just…give up on the tournament? It was a tempting idea. Still participate, but not feel the pressure of having to win. Was coming in third place such a bad thing, if it meant not having to do things that she was obviously incapable of? If it meant being able to just enjoy her last few months at Hogwarts?

Lily frowned up at the Snitch. She was not meant to be the champion, anyway. She'd proven that she was incapable at the first task. Would anyone be _that_ shocked if she failed the next two? Lily blew out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding. Maybe she was less like her parents than everyone seemed to expect her to be. And maybe that wasn't such a bad thing.

She wished she had a compass that would just magically point her in the right direction. She rolled over to pick up her wand and pointed it straight in the air, just staring at it. One of the girls gave a soft snuffle in her sleep, and Lily looked over at Roxy, who turned over, still fast asleep.

What would Roxy say if she knew what Lily was thinking? She'd probably threaten her. So would Fred, Louis, Dominique, _and_ James. Lily's heart sank. But, she thought, Hugo would probably be on her side. He would understand, at least, and so would Lucy and Molly. Maybe even Albus. Victoire and Teddy—well, perhaps they'd understand.

And Andrew…well, it had been Andrew's idea. Of course he would support Lily. She already had her parents' support—in a manner of speaking. She knew her family was not convinced that she would be able to pull off the tournament. So what was so wrong with just focusing on her N.E.W.T.s, enjoying her last year at Hogwarts, and spending time with Lorcan—no, _Andrew_, she told herself, feeling her face heat up with embarrassment. Wasn't that infinitely better than trying to riddle out the Forbidden Forest in the middle of the night?

Of course it was, so far as Lily could see. She reached up and grabbed the Snitch, smiling to herself. She would just do what she could, even if that meant losing.

* * *

><p>"You've <em>got<em> to be kidding me," Hugo said, his mouth falling open as he stared at Lily. It was late at night, and they were sitting alone in the Gryffindor common room two days before the second task. "You're trying to tell me that you haven't done _anything_ about figuring out your clue? _On purpose?_"

Lily bit her lip as Alice gaped at her. "Look, I just don't see what's wrong with it—someone's got to come in third—"

"Lily, have you gone mad?" Hugo cried. "Amanda's been working on her clue for weeks! She's probably got it figured out _and_ knows how to do the second task!"

"How absolutely wonderful for her," Lily snapped, feeling very angry. She wished Andrew were here to back her up, but he was off studying with Henry and Roxanne in the library. "Merlin, this is why I didn't tell you! I knew you'd be upset."

"Of course we're upset!" Alice answered loudly. "Lily, how _could_ you be so selfish?" she demanded.

"I'm not being selfish!" Lily told her fiercely. "I'm just conceding the fight before I embarrass myself. I'll do as well as I can and that'll be it."

"Like hell," Hugo said violently.

"I'm going to bed," Lily grumbled, getting up.

"No, you're not," said Alice, seizing her arm and turning her back. "_I'm_ going upstairs to get the Snitch, and when I come back, we're _all_ going to sit here until we either figure it out or drop dead."

"Alice, _no_," Lily insisted.

"You don't get a choice, Lily," said Hugo, sounding so angry that Lily flinched a little as he got to his feet. He towered over her. "You're not doing this."

"It's not as though I have a real chance at it!" Lily almost screamed. Hugo threw his hands up in disgust and stormed up the stairs to the boys' dormitory, leaving Alice to glare at Lily.

"And why do you think that?" Alice demanded, folding her arms.

"Because it's the truth!" Lily snapped. "No one expects me to do this. What's wrong with me just enjoying myself at school and not worrying about the stupid tournament? I shouldn't even have entered in the first place." She stared at the corner of the wandmaking book Hugo had given her, which she held in her lap.

Alice slammed her Potions book shut, startling Lily. "And just two months ago you were furious that you hadn't won! Will you make up your mind about what you want and stop wasting our time?" Alice was livid. "Don't you know why Michael and I fought? You never even asked me! He was tired of hearing me worry about you! He was sick of listening to me talk about _you, _because it's all I've done since the tournament started!"

Lily felt a knot of anxiety and guilt building in her stomach, but Alice carried on.

"You want the tournament, and then you don't, and then you do—I—I seriously thought that you might end up winning this, but now I'm not so sure. You seem to be pretty certain that you don't care about embarrassing anyone," she said. "Not your parents, your brothers, not Hugo, or Roxy, or Molly and Luce—not even me. I've been so wrapped up in the tournament _with you_ that—that it cost me _Michael_. And you know what's worse? I thought it would be okay, at least until now. Now, you've decided that you'll just give up. You're embarrassing your friends, your _family_—even the school. You just don't care, do you?"

Lily's mouth fell open; she was too shocked to even be angry. "I—your _boyfriend_?" she demanded. "_That's_ what you're so—"

Alice glared at her, and Lily stopped. Then, unable to keep it inside, she burst out, "I'm not embarrassing any of you, Alice, because it's not something you need to be concerned about! Okay? It's not true, you're not in this with me, you're _watching me_. And it's _my_ choice! Don't put my family's embarrassment on me, when the other choice is embarrassing _myself_ doing something I can't do! And it's not true that I don't care! It wasn't easy, making this decision!"

Alice rubbed her eyes as if she were tired. "It _is_ true, Lily, it _is_." She stepped forward and placed her hands on Lily's arms. "Because if you cared at _all_, you'd know that giving this tournament up is _wrong_."

Lily stared at the fire, too shamed to even speak. She felt guilty, angry, and somewhere in the back of her head, she knew that Alice was right, and that made it a hundred times worse.

"Where's the Snitch?" Alice asked softly. Lily didn't answer. "Lily?"

"No, Alice." Lily looked up. "I'm not doing it."

And with that, Lily got up and marched up the stairs to the girls' dormitory. She pretended to be asleep when Alice came upstairs a short while later.

The next day, the day before the task, Lily felt completely nauseous. She woke up before anyone else, but lay in her bed, clutching her stomach for almost two hours before the other girls started waking.

"Oh, Lily," Molly cooed sympathetically, coming to sit on the edge of Lily's bed. She smoothed back Lily's sweaty hair. "You look awful." She got up and poured a glass of water from the pitcher that stood on the bedside table. "Here, have some of this."

As Lily sat up, she saw Alice dressing quickly, facing away from her. Before Lily could try to get her attention, Alice bolted from the dormitory. Lily sighed and turned to Roxy, who, like Molly, was frowning at Alice's odd behavior; none of the other girls seemed to have noticed.

"Rox, can you say something to Professor Vector?" she asked. "I've got double Arithmancy this afternoon. I don't think I—"

And she vomited over the edge of the bed.

"Eurgh!" Jocasta shrieked. She practically ran for the door. "Feel better, Lily!" she cried from the stairs. Lily rolled back onto her mattress.

"Sure," said Roxy, backing away slowly. Molly waved her wand once and vanished the mess. "Do you need to see Madam Pomfrey?"

"No," Lily said firmly. "I'll just—rest here. Just, tell the teachers for me?"

Roxy didn't look convinced. "I'll do my best. Feel better, Lils."

Lily slumped back onto her pillows and crossed her arms over her eyes.

"I'll come back at lunch to check on you," Molly said softly. "If you're sick again, you should go to Madam Pomfrey."

"Right," said Lily shortly without opening her eyes. "I'll do that." A few moments later, she heard the door of the room snap shut. Lily rolled onto her side, feeling tears rising, and she squeezed her eyes shut…

* * *

><p>Lily woke with a start. She glanced at the clock Jocasta kept on her nightstand—five hours had gone by. It was well past lunchtime. If Molly had been up to see her, Lily had missed it. She had just had the oddest dream, and sat back against the headboard, rubbing her face as she tried to remember it.<p>

For better or for worse, Lily and her brothers had been told the stories of their father's years at Hogwarts—whether by their own parents, or even a few lessons in History of Magic. James had always been especially fascinated with the story of the Triwizard Tournament.

Her father didn't much like to discuss that year—understandably, of course, but James begged so often and so much that more than once, their father had found himself telling the story. Dad was always careful to avoid the worst parts—he never talked about the third task.

Lily did not mind his omissions; the thought of a person as evil as Voldemort rising from the dead—she shuddered, even now. At any rate, Lily had always found Dad's story of his second task to be her favorite. She was a passionate swimmer; it was one of her favorite things to do, to just float about and dive beneath the surface for hours on end.

She had never been in the lake at Hogwarts. The way her father described it had always frightened Al and James, but for Lily it sounded absolutely wonderful. The lake was teeming with life, magical and not, and it was fascinating to her.

In a flash, her dream returned to her. She had been swimming in the lake, searching for something, just like her dad. There was a glint of silver ahead, and she had followed it deeper, deeper, down all the way to the floor of the lake. She landed softly on the lake floor, looking for the silver, when all of a sudden, she had realized she wasn't in the lake any longer.

She was in a clearing, in a forest. It wasn't like the forests that her parents and Uncle Ron and Aunt Hermione took all of them to for camping every summer. She had never been in this one. It was dark, the only light coming from the break in the treetops, where a blanket of stars glittered. Lily looked above her head. Her Snitch was fluttering above her head, darting about. As she had watched, Lily had realized that the Snitch's movements weren't random, they were touching points on the stars above…

Lily practically fell out of bed scrambling for her trunk. She dug around and yanked out the Snitch. Then she reached for her schoolbag and rummaged around for a piece of spare parchment and a quill. She stretched out on the floor and laid the Snitch in front of her.

Slowly and carefully, Lily copied down each marking along the middle of the Snitch. They were all jagged lines, set at odd angles and in different directions. Lily became excited, furiously copying down each one, until—

She held up the parchment and stared at it. Eight odd, spiky markings stared back at her, as annoyingly unfathomable as they were in the carved silver.

"Oh, honestly!" Lily cried, frustrated. She crumpled up the paper, threw the Snitch back in her trunk, and stormed out of the room for the lavatory.

* * *

><p>Hi folksies! :) Just popping in to say hello. If you are one of my wonderful people (and you know who you are, guys!) then skip ahead of this rather irritated rant I am about to publish. I swear, this is the only time you'll ever see anything like this, and I am SO SO SO SO SO SO SORRY! I hope you'll forgive me.<p>

To the anonymous reviewers (which is another thing entirely) whose remarks I have deleted (and will continue to delete if I see them again), I am here to tell you once and only once that I have no intention of trying to completely revolutionize story-telling with this story. I'm trying to give a character a journey, and many details of that journey are familiar, not only because there are very few original stories to tell, but also because the character comes from the same universe.

Hopefully I have given the story enough of a tweak that you aren't completely enraged and throwing drinking fountains through windows at my sheer, unbridled audacity of re-using some very skillful plot devices. That's right, I am looking at the four (separate?) anonymous commenters who seem to be so distressed with the idea of this story not being more romantic, or the character(s) not being pretty, OR, worse yet, "IT'S LIEK (sic) OMG SO MUCH LIEK (sic) THE HARRY POTTER BOOK (there's just one, I suppose?) RIGHT (sic) UR (sic) OWN STORRY (sic)!" (Sick, sick, sick).

First off, A. It's fanfiction, dude. If it wasn't like the story it wouldn't be fanfiction. B. It's HARRY POTTER fanfiction. C. I take that as a HUGE compliment if you think this is anything like one my favorite book out of the series. If you'd like to read a story about pretty people with no personalities or real problems, filled to the brim with "romance" demonstrated in the most inappropriate of scenarios, may I recommend Twilight?

To the rest of you, who absolutely did not deserve to have that hurtled at your faces because you are kind, wonderful people who support and appreciate the effort that goes into writing a grammatical English sentence, I apologize sincerely, and I adore you. I adore that you enjoy this story, because knowing that you've had a good time reading makes me happy. You can blame these anony-mice for the existence of this unfortunate, dreadful author's note.

ALSO: LASTLY AND MOST IMPORTANTLY (because I have horrifying manners), a HUGE gigantic round of applause and appreciation for LVB, my lovable cuddly supermegafoxyawesomehot wonderball of a beta reader, who got this story rolling again. THANK YOU!

Apologizing to the beloved and Stunning the anonymice,

Lucy


	16. The Second Task

Chapter Sixteen

The Second Task

"It's going to be fine," Andrew said, giving Lily a hug at the bottom of the girls' staircase. "Just be careful, and you won't have to worry about this any more after tonight."

"Right," Lily said, her arms still around him. Andrew kissed her hair and then pulled back, holding her at arm's length.

"Come on, you'll be late," he said, and she nodded, following him to the portrait hole.

"Good luck, Lily!" yelled Charlie Creevey across the common room. Lily nodded nervously at him. Several other scarved and cloaked Gryffindors, excited for the task, cheered as they watched her leave. It was nearly ten; the task was due to start at eleven, and the champions were expected, as usual, an hour early.

Lily caught sight of Hugo and Alice sitting by the fire. They were watching her, but gave no sign of encouragement. They had not spoken to her since Thursday night.

"Ignore them," Andrew said, and Lily felt her heart twist slightly. "Come on," Andrew said again, and Lily swallowed and hurried on, her fingers clutched around the Snitch in her pocket.

"Bye," she said, giving Andrew a small smile, but he did not release her arm. "Andr—?"

Andrew smiled and gave her a soft kiss, which startled her at first. He pulled back, smiling awkwardly.

"You all right?" he asked, and Lily shook her head.

"Of—of course," she said, giving him a smile. She stood on her tiptoes and kissed him. "Thanks. I'll see you after, right?"

"I'll be here," Andrew said, and Lily nodded before walking out of the portrait hole.

She made her way out of the castle. Outside the large doors, the skies were brilliantly clear, illuminated by a nearly full moon and an endless blanket of stars. It was freezing cold, and not a single cloud was in sight. The lawn was still covered in snow, but a path visible in the moonlight had been cleared, leading to a small tent beside a series of well-lit, large stands, where the crowd would watch the task. This was all set up just on the edge of the Forbidden Forest.

Lily swallowed dryly. She was still shocked that the teachers were allowing the task to take place in the forest, and yet, here she stood. Lily could hear voices inside the tent. She took one last look at the dark line of the trees and stepped inside. The tent was the same from the first task, lit by a single, very bright lantern hanging from the center of the canopy. It was much warmer inside than it had been on the lawn.

"Ah, Miss Potter, excellent." Cormac McLaggen came hurrying over and shook her hand. Lily smiled. "You—er, haven't seen Miss Morgan, have you?" he asked, frowning.

"No," Lily said slowly. Over his shoulder, she saw Professor Bishop throw up his hands in frustration. He wore his same bright violet robes that he'd had at the first task.

"Ah, well…" Mr. McLaggen said nothing else and wandered off. Lily looked around the tent. Professor McGonagall was not there yet, but Madame Maxime and Melanie stood in one corner, whispering tensely in French. Melanie's eyes looked very red and puffy, but when she saw Lily staring, she glared and turned her back.

The same photographer and reporter from the wand-weighing were present. Lily skirted around them, not wanting to have her picture taken, and made a beeline for Aunt Hermione, who smiled at her.

"How are you, sweetheart?" she asked, giving Lily a hug.

"I'm fine," Lily told her.

"Did you—" Aunt Hermione broke off.

"I'll be okay," Lily lied. Something seemed to relax in Aunt Hermione's face, and she patted Lily's shoulder.

"Of course you will," she said. "You're your parents daughter." Lily's cheeks burned and she looked away, but Aunt Hermione didn't see. She was staring around the tent. "You don't have any idea where the Salem girl could be?"

Lily shook her head. "Wasn't she in their house? Professor Bishop must have seen her."

"Hmm…" Aunt Hermione nodded. She was obviously preoccupied, so Lily left her, and went to sit on the first-aid cot in the corner. Melanie, still in conversation with Madame Maxime, glanced over at her. Lily nodded briefly, but looked away, not wanting to give her an excuse to be unpleasant.

As she sat, she slipped her fingers into her pocket and closed them tightly around the Snitch. The cold metal warmed in her fingers. She could feel all the odd little markings pressing into her flesh and wanted to vomit.

Lily was completely trapped on all sides. She had worked herself into a corner by trying to throw the tournament, and had, as usual, changed her mind too late to make a difference. Now she was merely counting down the minutes until she finally lost the task and that was it. It was all over, and she was just as much of a letdown as she would have been if she'd given up.

She pulled the Snitch out of her pocket and stared at it, trying not to cry. _Nice work_, she thought nastily. _Really brilliant, you've done well this time_.

"I'm here! I'm sorry," Amanda gasped, tearing into the tent. Everyone looked around at her in surprise.

"Where have you been?" Professor Bishop demanded rather angrily, stepping towards her.

Amanda flinched. "I'm sorry, I was…working…"

Professor Bishop stared at her, confused.

"Sorry, Professor, I have to get ready for the task," Amanda said quickly, hurrying away from him. To her surprise, Amanda hurried to sit beside Lily, keeping an eye on her headmaster.

"How are you?" she asked furtively, pulling off her gloves.

"Fine," Lily answered, frowning. "Where _have_ you been?"

Amanda shook her head. "Nowhere. Just taking care of something."

Lily's eyes narrowed, but she was prevented from asking further questions by the arrival of Professor McGonagall, who looked grim. She nodded curtly to Cormac McLaggen, who cleared his throat.

"Champions, over here, if you please," he said, waving his arms. Lily and Amanda stood and walked to the adults, who were gathered by McLaggen. Melanie and Madame Maxime joined them, and Lily stole a glance at Melanie; she was shaking. Lily drew a deep breath and looked back to McLaggen.

"Well, ladies, as you can see, this task is a bit unusual," he said with a grin, which no one else returned. He continued, "In addition to the task taking place at midnight, the majority of it will occur in the Forbidden Forest."

Lily swallowed, and Amanda gave an involuntary twitch.

"Zat 'ardly seems fair," Melanie commented, but she was silenced with a sharp look from Madame Maxime.

"Now, there's nothing there that will be truly harmful, as long as you take care," Aunt Hermione said quickly. "Hopefully you have all worked out your clues by now. The area of the forest you will be occupying has been sufficiently protected to ensure that it is just the three of you out there."

"And what are we doing?" Amanda asked nervously.

"Ladies, if I may, I would like to ask you for your wands," McLaggen said, holding out his hand.

Lily gaped at him, Amanda scoffed, and Melanie said a French swearword that Lily was quite sure had gotten Louis a mouthful of soap bubbles from Aunt Fleur a few years back. As it was, Madame Maxime pursed her lips and glared at Melanie.

Professor McGonagall stepped forward, her beady eyes fixing on each champion in turn. "Champions, if you have solved your clue, then you should know by now that you will be able to complete the first part of the task without your wands. Please do as Mr. McLaggen says."

_Without my wand?_ Lily frowned, and for a half-second, she thought she might have seen Professor McGonagall meet her eyes again.

"Oh," Amanda said, reaching into her robes. "Sure. Just—yeah, here," she said, handing McLaggen her wand.

"Certainly," said Melanie, holding hers out.

Silently, Lily gave up her wand, her mind working furiously. The task was something involving wandless magic? How could that be? She had tried all manner of Arithmantic and Numerological codes to try and figure out what the symbols meant. Potions…Runes…Astronomy…none of them seemed to fit the marks she could feel cutting into her palm. Had she missed something?

She glanced to her left. Melanie's eyes were glazed over as she stared unblinkingly at the floor. On Lily's right, Amanda, was staring at her wand in McLaggen's hand.

"Excellent!" he said, smiling at the champions. "Madam Weasley will inform you of the rest of the task." And with that, he turned and left the tent. Amanda's mouth fell open, and she stared after him.

"Wair is 'e going?" Melanie demanded of Aunt Hermione, who held up her hands.

"Your task tonight, ladies, is to find your wand using the clues given to you in the first task," Aunt Hermione told them. "Mr. McLaggen is taking them all to the same designated spot in the woods right now."

"Find our wands," Amanda repeated weakly. Lily stole a glance at her and Melanie, who were both looking anxious. She didn't understand this. Hugo said Amanda had had her clue figured out for weeks. Why then, did she look so terrified? And why did Melanie look as though she were on the verge of tears?

"You have half an hour before the task begins," Professor McGonagall said briskly. "We shall see you outside." And with a nod to Professor Bishop, Madame Maxime, and Aunt Hermione, she left the tent, followed by the others.

"Good luck," Aunt Hermione said, stopping at the tent flap to tug on her cloak and smile at them. Lily tried to smile back, and Aunt Hermione nodded before hurrying out.

The sounds of the crowd filing into seats, cheering and yelling, filled the tent, and Lily felt her stomach flip. She sat down on the first aid cot beside Amanda, who didn't smile.

"It'll be okay," Lily told her, though why she could say this when she knew it wasn't true was a mystery.

The look Amanda gave her was nothing short of murderous. Lily swallowed and scooted away from her. Melanie was pacing in frantic circles, her left hand buried deep in her pocket, undoubtedly clenched around her Snitch.

For nearly twenty minutes they continued like this. Lily's mind was running in circles, trying to figure out how wandless magic would get her through the task. She didn't even hear Amanda when she spoke the first time.

"_Lily_," Amanda said again.

"What?" Lily asked. Melanie had stopped her pacing and was looking at them both.

"I said," Amanda told her, "Do you know if we're only able to get our own wands back, or if we can get all of them?"

"What?" asked Lily.

"Champions, take your places, please, the task is ready to begin!" boomed Cormac McLaggen's voice, and the crowd cheered.

Before Lily had a chance to do anything other than gape at the other two, Melanie had hurried out of the tent, closely followed by Amanda. Lily hurried after them, a feeling of dread in her stomach. Several large, floating orbs brightly lit the snowy ground outside the tent, illuminating the entire cheering crowd and judges' table as they looked down on the champions.

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the second task of the Triwizard Tournament!" McLaggen announced. "Our champions have been working on the clues they obtained during the first task, and tonight they are prepared to enter the forest tonight to complete the second task!"

There was another great cheer from the crowd, all of whom were wrapped in scarves and cloaks. Lily could just see the huddle of seventh-year Gryffindors near the top of the stands, and tried to smile at them before McLaggen spoke again.

"Champions, take your places, please!" he said, and Lily turned around to see three large, silver stars lying on the ground at the very edge of the forest. Glancing at Melanie and Amanda, she took her place on the third star, Amanda on the second, and Melanie on the first.

"Miss Chevalier, as the winner of the first task, will enter the forest first. Good luck, Miss Chevalier, you may begin!" McLaggen shouted.

Lily glanced over her shoulder to see the blue "MÈLANIE, NOTRE CHÈRIE" sign unfurling near the Beauxbatons students, and heard a great cheer. She looked back in time to see Melanie's long brown ponytail disappearing into the trees.

"Miss Morgan, take your place, please," McLaggen called. Amanda turned her back on the crowd, where she had been staring blankly, and caught Lily's eye for a brief moment. The look was mistrustful, uncertain, and very afraid. And suddenly, it dawned on Lily.

Neither of the other two had solved their clues. All three of the champions were going into the task on equal footing. That was why the other two had been so upset, why they thought it was unfair to use the Forbidden Forest; they thought Lily would have the advantage in an area they believed she knew.

Lily felt a surge of hope. Certainly, she did not know the forest well, but she did know a lot about wandless magic. If her blood had been rushing in her head any faster, she might even have tried to run into the crowd to hug Andrea Moon; she had never been so happy that her 'Squib' subjects were her best ones.

"And Miss Morgan of the Salem Witches' Institute enters the forest! Miss Potter, if you'll take your place!"

The crowd cheered frantically, and Lily quite suddenly found herself grinning as she turned her back to them. She waited the space of perhaps ten heartbeats before starting forward.

"And the Hogwarts champion has entered the task! The three champions now have one to return to the arena with their wands!"

Lily took a deep breath as the crowd cheered for her, and started forward onto the forest path after the other two, continuing far enough that the light and sound of the arena began to fade. She pulled her Snitch from her pocket as she walked and the sounds of the stands grew fainter. The silver of the Snitch glinted in the moonlight.

"Okay," she whispered to herself, still walking. "Okay…if I were a wand, where would I be?"

She heard a sudden crunch behind her and whirled around, but could see nothing. She could no longer hear the sounds of the crowd or of the other two champions, somewhere ahead of her. She was certain she should keep walking, since clearly that was what Melanie and Amanda had done.

Lily bit her lip and kept her eyes wide open, hoping they would adjust to the extreme darkness. She stumbled over a tree root and fell hard, scraping her hands, and employed a few of James' favorite swearwords as she sat on the earth and examined her palms. Somehow, she had never realized how much she relied on her wand; she wished she had more light to see.

A sudden noise above her caught Lily's attention. The Snitch, which Lily had dropped, fluttered overhead, not in lazy circles as it had in Gryffindor tower, but in sharp, jagged swipes. Lily frowned and got up from the ground, reaching for it, but it swooped out of her grasp, and continued its odd dance several feet higher.

Lily walked a few feet away; the Snitch followed her, but did not break its movements. Slowly, carefully, Lily put one hand out. The Snitch did not seem to notice for a few moments, simply carrying on its frenzied flight pattern. Then, the Snitch, which seemed to have taken on a mind of its own, froze in midair for a half-second before hurrying to land on Lily's outstretched palm, where it folded its wings neatly and sat quite still.

Lily stared, nonplussed.

"Er," she said, frowning. "Open? Or…Point Me?" Was the Snitch meant to be some kind of compass? How was she to open it without her wand? The silver ball, however, sat quite lifelessly, and Lily sighed in exasperation. This was exactly why she had lost interest in the tournament! There was no reasoning or logic behind anything the champions were asked to do, and they were completely alone to riddle these tasks out.

As anger flashed through her, the Snitch's wings suddenly snapped open again, just in time for the entire Snitch to open wide before Lily's eyes. From one of the halves, a fine, silvery mist was unfurling into the air. Rather than disappearing, however, it unfolded, larger and larger above Lily's head, until it was an enormous cloud of silver, filled with tiny pinpricks of denser, brighter light.

Lily stared in amazement. She had never seen anything so beautiful. _But what the bloody hell is it?_ Lily thought with a bewildered, frantic laugh. She walked around the cloud, looking through the web of silver…wait. Wait. They were stars.

"No way," Lily muttered, frowning. But…that was Aquarius, and that was Pisces…Lily reached out one finger to touch the tiny stars, and was surprised to see her finger leave a bold, glowing line in the cloud, like a trail, that glittered for a moment before fading.

And suddenly, it all made sense. Lily lifted the open Snitch and held it close to the glowing light of the cloud. The markings on the edge were the lines symbolizing constellations that had to be traced into the star map. Taking their wands away wasn't a challenge, it was a clue; if they could use their basic understanding of elemental, wandless magic, they would be able to find their wands and escape the forest.

Lily could have laughed out loud, had it not been for the fact that it was the dead of night, and she was standing alone in the middle of the Forbidden Forest. She narrowed her eyes and tried to remember what the first constellation was. It was an angular, wishbone-shaped mark, and she didn't recognize it. Lily bit her lip, looking at the star map—it would be so much easier if she could locate Polaris, but she could not.

Quickly, though, she found Pisces in the stars, and checked the Snitch—its odd, long-tailed circle was there. How had she not recognized it before? It was perhaps, more difficult to recognize constellations without their traditional symbols, certainly, but just the same…

Lily stretched out her forefinger and gently touched one of the stars on the map. It was ice cold, and sent a shiver racing up her spine, but she repressed the feeling and traced her finger to the next star, and the next, until she had made the glowing outline of Pisces in the miniature stars. It did not fade, but glimmered in midair like the rest of the stars.

"Whoa," Lily said softly, her breath coming out in a huge cloud. A twig snapped somewhere near her, and she whirled around, looking blindly into the darkness. "Who's there?" she called, hoping she sounded braver than she felt. Nothing happened for several tense minutes. Anxiously, Lily turned back to the Snitch and star map.

She looked again for another symbol she could recognize. Now that she knew vaguely what to look for, it was simpler; she found the outline of the constellation Cancer, which she marked on the map, and did the same for Draco, Cepheus, Cassiopeia—five constellations hung in the star map now. She turned the Snitch over to the last three, her fingers shaking.

_Calm down,_ she thought. _All you need to do is find these three. Then you'll find your wand, and have a shot at beating the others back to the edge of the forest. You can do it, you can do it_…

"I can do it," Lily mumbled to herself, closing her eyes to draw a deep breath. Elemental magic was _her_ area. She shone in Astronomy and Arithmancy because she knew how the elements worked in magic. She could do this. She opened her eyes and squinted at the last three symbols, trying to remember the star maps in her Astronomy lessons.

One of them was the wishbone mark from earlier; Lily bit her lip, which cracked from the cold, and she began to bleed as she winced and swore internally. She looked back at the mark, sucking her lip.

It looked like a person, but Orion was not on this star map; he was in the south, not in season. Then, quite suddenly, it dawned on her. It was the hero constellation, Perseus. She checked the map; it would fit perfectly, directly between Cassiopeia and Cancer. She traced it in and the line hung there. Lily knew it was the right answer. Excitedly, she looked to the next two markings.

She was on a roll, now, and she could have kicked herself for not seeing the Little Dipper and Big Dipper for what they were. She found Ursa Major and traced the constellation into the map, and immediately began to draw in Ursa Minor, but stopped. The unfinished constellation faded, and Lily frowned.

The fourth star of its tail was missing. She checked the Snitch; it was there in the silver…just not on the map. Where Lily had thought before that she simply couldn't locate the North Star, she realized that it wasn't on the star map at all. This made very little sense. It was nearly impossible to use the stars to navigate or do anything without the North Star.

"It's a clue," Lily whispered, with dawning comprehension. She licked her lips, frowning, and tentatively put her hands out, as if to lift the star map. To her surprise, her fingers pressed against something warm and comfortable, and she was able to slowly move the orb of the map so that it hung in midair above her head.

Lily crouched beneath it, looking up at the stars in the map, trying to align them with the scattering of stars she could see high above in the break of the treetops. She could just see Ursa Minor. Polaris shone brightly from its tail, and Lily turned her head to squint at it.

From her position now, she was near Draco's head; she could just make out the dragon's tail. Lily frowned. The only missing piece of a star map, by which navigation and understanding were made possible, leading to the only missing piece of a witch: her wand. Was it that simple?

Lily squinted at her watch. She had half an hour left. It didn't seem that there was much of a choice. She glanced up at Polaris, trying to gauge its distance from her current position, which was remarkably difficult without the ability to use proper magic spells to calculate it.

"Polaris it is," she muttered, closing the Snitch and tucking it into her pocket. The star map melted into thin air and Lily started forward, off the path. Suddenly, from behind her, there was another, louder snap, and Lily spun around, reaching automatically for her wand and flushing with heat when she did not find it.

Her nerves were stretched to the breaking point. "_Who's there?_" Lily called angrily, straining her eyes to see into the pitch darkness. There was no response.

_Crash_.

The sound of footfalls pounding through the underbrush made Lily jump, and she saw something fly through the trees past her. No, not some_thing_—

"Bloody hell," she growled, and started to run after Amanda.

Running in the forest was nothing short of painful. Branches whipped past Lily, yanking at her hair, robes, and flesh indiscriminately. She could hear Amanda making noises of similar discomfort not far ahead, and forced herself to run faster, though her lungs were burning.

Then, not twenty feet ahead, Lily heard a bone-chilling scream and tried to skid to a stop—

Everything was plunged into pitch-blackness, and Lily was overcome with the feeling that she was falling headfirst into the darkness. She didn't know which way was up, and prepared herself for a jarring, painful impact— that never came. She just kept falling, spinning through darkness. She tried to scream, but couldn't make her voice louder than a whisper. Where was she? What had just happened? Terrified thoughts chased each other around her brain, that she was trapped in some kind of obstacle the judges had set up, that Amanda or Melanie had managed to get to their wands and cast a jinx for her—but then, who had screamed?

Lily flung her hands out, reaching into the blackness to find something, anything solid, and her fingers clawed through nothingness. Fear surged through her, and instantly, she felt a lurching motion and was pitched forward, where she collided heavily with the forest floor, disorientated and gasping for breath.

There was no time to rest. Lily leapt up onto her feet and began staggering forward, trying not to crash into the trees. She glanced back over her shoulder. There was no sign of whatever it was that had caught Lily, and she continued onward, trying to find a break in the treetops to see Polaris.

Then, quite suddenly, she was falling again—only this time, she could see that she was tumbling down a steep slope. She flung her hands out and caught fistfuls of earth, plants, and tree roots that stung her already-scraped hands, and skidded to a stop, sitting on the slope.

Lily looked overhead. There was a great deal of silvery light up ahead, shining down in a clearing, and she grinned, leaping to her feet and running forward into the circle of trees.

Panting, she stopped in the very center of the clearing, looking up into the sky. There, directly above her, twinkled the North Star. Excitedly, Lily looked around—there were three orbs of silvery-blue light along the perimeter of the clearing, and she chose one to run up to.

Cautiously, Lily put her hand up to the light, trying to determine if it was safe to touch. Her face was burning up as she chewed her cracked lips, but her body was freezing cold. Her fingers slid into the center of the light—she could still see them. She could see her fingers…but not a wand. She frowned and hurried over to the next orb—same result. With a feeling of growing dread, she went to the last one, and found nothing inside it.

Lily felt anger rush through her. Someone—Melanie or Amanda—had beaten her to the clearing and taken all three wands.

There was a loud crash, and Amanda came stumbling into the clearing, looking bedraggled.

"What did you do?" Lily shouted, running over to her and grabbing her arms. "WHAT DID YOU DO?"

Amanda stared back at her, eyes wide and terrified. "N-nothing, I d-didn't do anything," she insisted, shaking her head. "What are you talking about, Lily? _Lily!_" she screamed as Lily turned away furiously and ran her hands through her hair.

"The wands," she heard Amanda say weakly. "Where are the wands?"

"What?" Lily snapped, spinning around. "What do you mean? Didn't you have y—" Her eyes closed, and she felt like an idiot. "You were following me, weren't you?" she asked, glaring at Amanda. "You didn't have the clue figured out at all, so you waited for—for me…"

"I'm sorry," Amanda said, tears filling her eyes. "I couldn't think of anything else to do—I hid behind a tree until you came in, I thought you might know what to do. I didn't know what the clue was, I gave up Astronomy ages ago, I'd never have gotten it." She hung her head. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry."

Lily sighed and rolled her eyes. "Too late now," she said. "Melanie's probably already back. She'll make up some story about why she's got our w—"

A jet of red light streaked overhead and Lily yanked Amanda down to the forest floor. Footsteps came crashing towards Lily, and before Melanie had a chance to aim another spell, she shot her hand out and seized Melanie's ankle, tripping her. Lily jumped up and pinned Melanie's arms to the ground so that she dropped all three of the wands.

"Nice try," Lily snarled, her hair falling in pieces from its knot. "Get the wands, Amanda!" she barked, not taking her eyes from Melanie's face.

"_Impedimenta!_"

Pain collided with Lily's side, and she was blasted backwards off of Melanie, who immediately leapt for her wand and fired a jet of purple light at Lily. Lily rolled out of the way, trying to get an idea of what was happening. Amanda was already halfway up the slope, staggering clumsily. Melanie was not far behind her.

Lily searched frantically on the ground for her wand—her fingers found it and closed automatically around the oak handle before she had a chance to register what was happening, and began to run for the hillside. The other two were still stumbling, but Lily was possessed of a manic energy, fueled by her anger and fear—she could have flown up the icy slope, her wand clutched tightly in her fist.

She overtook Melanie, then Amanda, and charged toward the top of the hill. She slid on a patch of ice, and by the time she made it to the top, Amanda was nearly level with her, Melanie on her heels.

But Lily kept running, harder and harder, slipping on icy spots and tripping over roots as she hunted for the path, or for a sign of the direction to go—there was no time to check the stars now, no time to use the Four Directions Spell—

And suddenly, a tree root appeared under her feet, tripping her, and Lily fell hard. She looked back and could just see Melanie and Amanda. As she paused, Amanda raised her wand again—

Lily leapt to her feet and began to run again, sprinting frantically, hoping that somehow, magically, the path would appear—she followed twists and forks in the underbrush, barely dodging trees, and all the while hearing Amanda and Melanie crashing after her. Once or twice she heard a spell screamed, or saw a jet of light soar past, but she kept running.

_Keep using those wands against me, and I swear I'll snap them in half_, Lily thought violently, ducking beneath a tree—

Then, suddenly, thrillingly, there was a flash of silver ahead, and Lily realized instantly that at some point, her Snitch had escaped her pocket, possibly when she fell—it was fluttering ahead on the path, leading her towards the edge of the forest.

Lily put on a burst of speed, and the Snitch shot forward. She chased it. Melanie and Amanda were getting closer, but she was still ahead—she was going to win—

A branch whacked Lily in the stomach, bent forward, and broke, and Lily fell flat on her face out of the edge of the forest. There was excited screaming and cheering, and Lily flung her wand arm up in the air as Amanda, and then Melanie stumbled out of the forest and landed beside her.

"And in a surprise comeback, Lily Potter takes the second task!"

* * *

><p>Ehe. :)<p> 


	17. Conversations and Considerations

Chapter Seventeen

Conversations and Considerations

Lily sat, curled comfortably in one of the large, soft armchairs in Gryffindor common room, blinking sleepily as she gazed into the fire. She had one of her homemade blankets from Gran wrapped around her shoulders, and Hugo and Alice occupied the chairs on either side of her.

"She really tried to jinx you?" Hugo asked for the third time.

Lily sighed heavily, her heart breaking as she looked up at Hugo's face. "She _did_ jinx me. Once. The other spells, when we were running…I don't know, it could have been either of them."

"But it was probably Melanie who put up that nasty darkness charm, whatever that was," Alice said bitterly. "Right?"

Lily shrugged. "They didn't tell us there would be obstacles. She was the only one who had her wand at the time, and Amanda did get caught in it, too."

"Why would she do that?" Hugo asked, annoyed. "Why would _either _of them do it? I didn't think anyone would take this tournament so seriously anymore! Doesn't anybody understand, people have _died_ doing this! And that's another thing," he added, as if the thought had only just occurred to him. "Melanie _must_ have been trying to cheat too! How did she get so far ahead of you?"

Lily shook her head. "I don't know. Maybe I was wrong, maybe she did know the clue."

Alice sighed, looking sympathetically at Hugo, who was staring rather miserably into the fire. He had not taken the story about Amanda well. Alice met Lily's eyes, and they both shrugged, unsure of what to say to him.

The common room was in a rather stupefied state this evening, after a party that had carried on from the end of the second task until Professor Longbottom had finally intervened. Lily, who had managed to escape Madam Pomfrey's ministrations after getting her scrapes tended to, had gone to sleep around dawn and woken at three in the afternoon, sore and bleary, but perfectly all right. She had not yet seen Molly, Henry, Roxanne, or even Andrew, which suggested they were either still sleeping or off studying—though, now she thought of it, she remembered that she had barely seen Andrew at the party.

Hugo and Alice had been waiting for her when she woke up. All was forgotten about their fight; they were immensely proud of Lily, and accepted her fervent apology and promise that she was fully dedicated to the tournament once again.

"I was so stupid—"

"Yep," Alice told her.

"I won't ever do anything like that again—"

"Nope," said Hugo.

Lily glared at them both before finally laughing. "Forgiven?"

"Forgiven," Alice said, opening her arms to hug Lily tightly.

"But if we see you slipping, Potter," Hugo had said warningly, "It's flying lessons with Henry and Roxanne every night until you shape up."

Lily laughed again and hugged him. They had all sat down in their favorite chairs by the fire, and Lily began to explain the events of the task.

Now she looked over at Hugo, who was looking very preoccupied and restless as he stared into the fire. Lily burrowed down into her blanket.

"All right, Lil, time to write to your parents," Alice said. "Come on." She bent over and picked up a stack of parchment, a quill, and an inkpot.

Lily gave a high-pitched squeak and snuggled her face down into her blanket, tucking herself into a tighter ball. "Lily's not here right now, please leave a note."

Alice chuckled. "Lily _is_ here right now, because Lily has to write to her _family_ so they know she's _alive_ after this _weekend_," she told her coaxingly, sitting up and yanking Lily's blanket down around her shoulders. "And Lily's _mummy_ will probably try and kill _Lily_ if she doesn't get a letter."

Lily cracked one eye and peered at her. "Probably," she said, and Alice nodded. Lily smiled and disentangled herself from her ball. "All right, all right, give me the quill." As she began to pen a note to her parents, she kept an eye on Hugo in her periphery.

He frowned and tapped his foot restlessly on the ground for several minutes. Then he looked at his watch. "Bloody hell, is it six already?" he asked, jumping to his feet.

"Have you got a lesson tonight?" Alice asked, sitting up and rubbing her neck as she squinted at him. Lily had begged Hugo to tell Alice about his Animagus lessons, and had only recently gotten her wish; secretly, she thought Hugo rather enjoyed being able to share the secret with them. Lately, however, he had been surly and silent on the topic of his lessons.

Hugo looked morose. "I haven't practiced at all because of that stupid Transfiguration essay."

"Practiced for what?"

Alice fell out of her chair, she was so startled. Lily and Hugo looked up to face Aunt Hermione and Professor Longbottom, who were standing just inside the portrait hole.

"Nothing, Mrs. Weasley," Alice said, leaping to her feet. "Just something for class." She threw her arm around Hugo's much-taller neck, and Lily had to put one hand over her mouth to stop herself from laughing out loud. Professor Longbottom gave a slight cough.

Aunt Hermione didn't look convinced, but nodded slowly. Alice, seeming to suddenly feel awkward, sat back down next to Lily. "All right," Aunt Hermione said uncertainly. "Well, uh, I only came to say goodbye to you all," she said, smiling at Hugo and the girls. "I hope that's all right."

"Of course it is, Mum!" Hugo bellowed, startling her. He bounded forward and gave her a tight hug, which Aunt Hermione returned, looking very confused.

When Hugo released her, she came over to Lily and Alice, laying a hand on Lily's arm and bending down beside them.

"Let me know if that gets any worse," said Aunt Hermione, winking at them as she tipped her head towards her son, who was grinning manically at her back.

"Will do," Alice promised.

Aunt Hermione straightened up and patted Lily's head. "You're feeling all right?" she asked for the umpteenth time (she had been hovering around Madam Pomfrey's side for the entire half-hour she had tended to Lily's scrapes and bruises after the task).

"Yes," Lily assured her, and Aunt Hermione smiled.

"All right. Congratulations, and I'll see you in another few months. Tell Molly and Roxanne I stopped by," she said, turning to leave and glancing around the common room for signs of her nieces. She gave Hugo another hug and kissed his cheek, at which his ears turned bright pink.

"Get some sleep, sweetheart, you look exhausted," Aunt Hermione said. She turned, squeezing Professor Longbottom's arm as she went. "Bye, Neville, we'll see you soon—"

"Aunt Hermione?" Lily asked, sitting up as Aunt Hermione stopped at the portrait hole. "There's no clue this time, right?"

Aunt Hermione rolled her eyes and shook her head. "Har, har," she said. "No, there's no clue. You'll just have to wait until June."

Lily nodded and waved, and Aunt Hermione left. Hugo dropped down onto the rug amidst gales of laughter from Alice.

"My mum _would_ come up with the one clue that no Triwizard champion could solve," he muttered, and Lily leaned forward to pat his head.

"All right, all right," Professor Longbottom said, and the three looked up at him. "I've got messages from Professor McGonagall for you two," he said, looking at Hugo and Lily. "Hugo, she wants to ask if you'll reschedule your appointment for tomorrow?" he asked, in a voice that plainly indicated confusion, but he carried on. "And Lily, she'd like to see you tonight, as soon as possible."

"What?" Lily asked, completely forgetting that she should probably have called him 'sir.' Alice and Hugo looked equally confused. "Why?"

Professor Longbottom raised his eyebrows. "I'm sure she'd be more than happy to explain when you get to her office, Miss Potter," he told her, and Lily blushed, smiling sheepishly.

"Right, sorry, sir," she said, getting up and folding her blanket. She realized she was in her pajamas, just like most of the other Gryffindors, and flushed even pinker. "I'll just—er—yeah, I'll get dressed and go now."

"All right," said Professor Longbottom. "I'll see you three later, then. Oh—she mentioned that you might want a cloak."

Lily's eyebrows lifted in surprise as Professor Longbottom patted Alice's head, at which she only grumbled a bit, smiled at Lily and Hugo, and left.

"What does McGonagall want with you?" Alice asked when he'd gone. She gave a great, fake sigh of exasperation. "What have you done this time, Potter?"

"Nothing," Lily told her, sticking her tongue out. "She probably wants to talk about the task."

Hugo nodded. "Will you just tell her I'll see her tomorrow, then?" he asked heavily.

"Sure," Lily said kindly, laying a hand on his shoulder. Hugo looked uncomfortable, and Lily felt terrible for him. She nodded at Alice and hurried up the stairs to the dormitory to put her clothes on.

"I'll see you soon," she called ten minutes later as she hurried past Alice and Hugo, her cloak flapping behind her, and Alice waved.

She arrived at Professor McGonagall's office, and realized, once again, that she had forgotten to ask the password.

"Rose?" she asked, and mercifully, the gargoyle stepped aside. Lily hurried up the steps and knocked on the door of the office. There was no answer. "Professor?" she called.

"Come in," called Professor McGonagall, and Lily pushed the door open. The headmistress was standing behind her desk.

The portrait above Professor McGonagall's head caught Lily's eye; Professor Dumbledore winked and smiled at her before returning to the painted book he was perusing. Standing closer to the desk than she had been with her parents, Lily saw Professor Snape's painting as well, hanging directly opposite Professor Dumbledore's; he, however, was not paying attention to the scene below, instead examining his own fingernails with a kind of bored listlessness.

"Oh, Miss Potter, excellent," Professor McGonagall said crisply, tugging her tartan cloak about her shoulders. She carried her walking stick, and was scrutinizing Lily closely, as though determining whether or not she was unharmed. "How are you?"

"Fine, thank you, Professor," said Lily, trying to give her a faint smile. It was hard; Professor McGonagall's beady, hawklike gaze was rather unnerving. "Er—how are you?" she asked uncomfortably, when McGonagall said nothing.

Professor McGonagall seemed to suddenly come back to herself. "Quite well, thank you," she said. "I wondered if you might take a walk with me? I wish to discuss last night's events with you."

"Oh," Lily said, noticing that Professor Dumbledore's portrait shifted slightly in his seat. "Sure, Professor—er—outside?" she asked.

"I rather enjoy the grounds this time of year," said Professor McGonagall wryly, tucking her walking stick into the folds of her cloak. She cast a half-glance over her shoulder at the portrait.

"Absolutely, me too," Lily said immediately, feeling embarrassed. Professor McGonagall nodded briskly and Lily followed her from the office, pausing only at the door to wave at Professor Dumbledore's portrait. He smiled and nodded as she shut the door.

Neither spoke until they reached the snowy lawn. Professor McGonagall stopped near the doors of the castle, taking a deep breath of cold air. The orange, setting sun was just peeking through the break between the clouds and the horizon, sparkling on the snow that was soaking the hem of Lily's cloak.

The ice on the lake was still thick and opaque beneath the gray clouds. The forest stood dark and shadowy behind Hagrid's hut and the Salem Institute house. Lily smiled, gazing out at the grounds, and it suddenly struck her that this would be the last winter she spent at Hogwarts.

"It's really lovely," she said, her breath coming out in huge clouds.

Professor McGonagall looked sideways at Lily. "Yes," she said simply. "It is. Come along, Miss Potter."

Lily followed Professor McGonagall along the path through the snow that led across the lawn to the lake in silence.

"So," Professor McGonagall said at last, when they were nearly halfway to the banks. "Tell me about the forest."

"Er," said Lily. "Well…I don't—"

"What happened, Miss Potter? I have already seen a rather irate Professor Bishop and Madame Maxime this morning, asking whether or not my student solved the clue on her own," Professor McGonagall said. "I saw your faces last night. I don't believe any of you managed to learn what was coming, whatever my counterparts maintain about Miss Morgan and Miss Chevalier."

Lily flushed bright red, not looking at Professor McGonagall. Their pace slowed notably. "I didn't…I didn't solve the clue before the task," she admitted. "But I _did_ solve it on my own." She looked up and met the headmistress's eyes. "I didn't cheat."

Professor McGonagall nodded. "I didn't think so," she said, and Lily could easily see that she meant it. "But perhaps you can explain why the other champions and their teachers believe that you did?"

Lily stared at her, astonished. "We—Amanda and I—we got to the clearing at the same time! Melanie was ahead of us. Amanda knows I didn't do anything wrong, I'm positive of that, so I don't know why she would tell Professor Bishop that I did." She was reluctant to tell the whole story; it would sound like a deflection.

Professor McGonagall stopped, frowning.

Lily faced her. "Professor, when I went into that forest, I had _not_ figured out the clue, I'll be honest. I got about halfway in and managed to solve the clue _on my own_."

Professor McGonagall's mouth opened, but Lily barreled on.

"By the time we all got our wands, jinxes were flying everywhere, and I started running back—I only wanted to make it to the arena, and that's _it_. So, honestly, Professor," Lily concluded, "I've been just as confused as you are. If they think I cheated, though, or they _told_ you I did, then they're wrong," she added firmly. "I did my job."

Professor McGonagall took a moment to absorb Lily's words. "It sounds as though there has been a misunderstanding among our guests," she said, and Lily heard a distinct chill creeping into her voice. "Thank you, Miss Potter, for telling me."

Lily nodded, feeling her cheeks go pink again. She felt very forward all of a sudden, and was grateful when Professor McGonagall began walking again. She drew her wand and focused on melting the path before them.

After a few moments, Professor McGonagall spoke again.

"How have you been handling this tournament, Miss Potter?" she asked, with an air of polite curiosity.

Lily paused. "Er…it's been all right, Professor. Classes are busy, but—"

"I don't mean your classes, Miss Potter," Professor McGonagall interrupted. "I mean, have you felt at all that this is too much for you? It is hardly a secret…I mean to say, you expressed a great deal of reluctance when you were chosen."

Lily stared at her. "I've…thought about it," she said, feeling mingled shame and defensiveness. "At…at first, I sort of felt like…I'd made a mistake. And now my punishment was to have to go through all of this embarrassment. Then, at the first task, I got really, really upset that I didn't do my best." She felt her cheeks burning, and looked out over the icy lake for a few moments.

She heard Professor McGonagall shift beside her. "And yet, you didn't solve your clue," she prompted, and Lily looked down, mortified as tears stung her eyes. She shook her head.

"It was all luck, last night, Professor," Lily said quietly, her voice fading. "If I had stopped to jinx them back, or—"

"You didn't retaliate?" Professor McGonagall interrupted sharply. Lily looked up and shook her head. Professor McGonagall lifted her eyebrows. "I can't imagine why not, if they attacked you," she said.

Lily stared. "I didn't think we were supposed to hurt each other. I didn't _want_ to jinx them," she said, remembering her anger from the previous night. "Besides," she added rather self-deprecatingly, "I'm not that—"

"I find it interesting that you do not consider yourself skilled in magic, Miss Potter," Professor McGonagall said loudly, "When I know for a fact that you passed all of your O.W.L.s with excellent marks, and are well on your way to doing the same with your N.E.W.T.s."

Lily blinked. "I don't really take—"

"In fact," Professor McGonagall went, on, gazing over the lake, "Some of your best grades were in Transfiguration and Charms. And Arithmancy, of course," she added, with a courteous nod. "Those are not easy classes, Miss Potter, and I believe I should know. A deep interest in an area of magic, such as the science of it, which is, by and large, Arithmancy, does not cancel out skills in other areas."

Lily nodded. "I only meant…personally, I don't think I'm as good in…some subjects. I do best with simple ones, Professor," she said quietly.

"I always wonder how students come to evaluate themselves completely differently from the way their teachers do," Professor McGonagall said, peering at Lily over her spectacles. Then she shrugged, as if it were merely a passing fancy.

Lily smiled, confused, but Professor McGonagall had turned her attention back out to the lake. They were silent for several minutes, and Lily wondered briefly if Professor McGonagall was as cold as she was. The sun was setting rapidly now, and it would be very dark.

"Do you know, Miss Potter," Professor McGonagall said suddenly, "that your father believes that it was mostly luck that helped him through his hardest times?"

Lily looked up at the headmistress, frowning. "He says Mum and Aunt Hermione and Uncle Ron—"

"Oh, certainly," said Professor McGonagall, facing her. "Your family, and love for them, were most assuredly a large part of his successes…but I can think of more than one occasion when he mistook his own skills for sheer luck."

"My dad's really good—"

"Yes," Professor McGonagall said. "He is, Miss Potter. And you are very like him," she said with a nod, and Lily felt her neck grow hot. "You are conscientious, you are kind, and you seem, as yet, unaware that you are rather a skilled witch. Your aunt said it best; the Goblet of Fire is not a lottery. It does not choose randomly. It selects the student it thinks will succeed, or—" and here Professor McGonagall paused, waiting for Lily to meet her beady eyes. "—Or, the student it thinks will _learn_ to succeed."

Lily felt her cheeks burning and looked down in the snow. There was a very nasty, bitter thought rattling inside her brain, one that had taken all of seventeen years to develop, and she was fighting very hard to keep it inside. She could not.

"Professor, even if I do _learn to succeed_," Lily said, working to keep her tone even, "what difference is it going to make?" She gave a rather hysterical little laugh and forced herself to not shout. "I come from," she took a breath, "the _biggest _family of over-achievers the wizarding world has ever _seen._ I'll just be another Potter who's done something big," she said desperately, and now she was feeling angry, ashamed, and embarrassed as tears stung her eyes. "But not that big, because there's always someone else I'm related to who's done better!"

Professor McGonagall looked at her, her eyes narrowed. "You know, Miss Potter, one of the interesting things about families is the individual members' fear of being overshadowed by something from the past. It is not something unique to you and your relatives."

Lily stared out at the lake. Her feet were freezing cold; the sun was vanishing on the horizon and the grounds were growing dark.

"Your parents, your aunts and uncles, and even your grandparents have all had their triumphs, some more significant than others, perhaps," Professor McGonagall continued. "But they have passed on their success to you, and your brothers, and your cousins. It is your turn to do something significant. Your family cares that you are happy, safe, and whole. You already belong with them, no matter what you might believe."

"Professor," Lily said exasperatedly. "I haven't _done_ anything. I'm _not_ like them."

"You are," said Professor McGonagall simply. "And you are the only one who does not believe it, Lily Potter. Your significance to those you love matters a great deal more than doing well in a tournament, wouldn't you agree?"

Lily stared at her, frowning. A cold wind blew past them, and Professor McGonagall drew her cloak tighter about her shoulders.

"I think," she said slowly, eyeing Lily, "that you need to seriously consider _why_ this tournament is important to you."

"Because—" Lily began, but Professor McGonagall held up one hand to silence her.

"I don't require your answer," she said. "Not now, at least. I only ask that you think about whether it is more important to be different, or to take what you've been given. And," Professor McGonagall added, raising an eyebrow at Lily, "Though it is not my business, I might point out that you've been given something rather rare."

Lily did not answer, still frowning confusedly at Professor McGonagall. The headmistress gave her a thin-lipped, nearly imperceptible smile and turned, beginning the walk back up the path. Lily remained on the bank, lost in thought.

"You'll catch your death, Miss Potter," Professor McGonagall called over her shoulder. "Come along."

Shaking her head, Lily hurried after Professor McGonagall, very confused indeed.


	18. A Very Bad Day

Chapter Eighteen

A Very Bad Day

"Lily."

Lily looked up from her Arithmancy notes. "Andrew," she said, surprised. She closed her book on her notes and stuffed it in her bag. It was five days after the task, and Lily was spending her free Friday afternoon in an extended studying period in the Great Hall.

She had concluded her rather unusual conversation with Professor McGonagall with the information that she would not take the official N.E.W.T. exams, but would sit private exams and receive the grades her teachers gave her at the end of term. These grades would suffice when she looked for a job. She hoped desperately for as many Exceeds Expectations grades as she could manage, and so had started to study, getting homework done ahead of time.

Now Andrew stood over her, looking preoccupied.

"Sit down," Lily said, gesturing to the half-empty Gryffindor table. He sat, and Lily turned to face him, taking a nervous breath. "How are you?" she asked.

Andrew shrugged. "How are you?"

"I'm fine," she said slowly. "Although you might know that if you'd talked to me at all this week."

He nodded. "I know," he said. "I'm sorry."

Lily lifted her chin. "You're sorry?" she asked. "I come stumbling out of the forest last weekend, terrified out of my mind, and I _hope_ I'll be able to see you in classes, since I notice you didn't come and find me last Sunday and you've been avoiding the common room, but instead you ignore me for a week, and you're _sorry_?"

"Yes," said Andrew rather hotly. "I'm sorry."

Lily narrowed her eyes at him and reached into her bag, preparing to pull out her book and continue studying.

"I just…I thought you were done with the tournament," Andrew said, grabbing her wrist. Lily frowned and pulled her hand back.

"What?" she asked. "I can't be done with the tournament until—"

"No," Andrew interrupted. "That's not what I meant. I thought…I thought you were going to ditch it. You know, so we could spend more time together. That's what we talked about."

Lily stared at him. "Andrew," she began, "I…I know we talked about it…I'm sorry, but…I don't think I can do that. I _want _to spend time with you," she said earnestly. "But you're asking me to give up something I've been chosen to do—"

"You weren't 'chosen' for anything," Andrew said rather derisively. "You put your name in the Goblet of Fire and had the bad luck to get picked. You said so yourself."

Lily sighed, looking up at the ceiling. "Andrew, why does it matter if I've got something that takes up some of my time? I can _always_ make time for you," she told him, trying to be reassuring.

Andrew wouldn't look at her. "I don't want to be an inconvenience. I want to be someone _you_ want to be with," he said. "And if that's not the case, then we both need to do something about it."

Lily stared at him as he drummed his fingers on the tabletop, still looking away from her. "Andrew," she said quietly. He didn't look up. "Andrew," she said again, more loudly.

"What?" he asked, exasperated.

"You're not an inconvenience," she said firmly. "That's not what I meant, and you know it. I only meant that…if you and I really want to—to make this work—" she trailed off, frowning over at the Ravenclaw table, where Melanie Chevalier was eyeing her, trying to get her attention.

Andrew followed her gaze, though he did not seem to see what Lily did. "I knew it," he muttered angrily.

Lily looked back at him, startled. "What are you talking about?"

"I knew you liked Scamander, I knew it," Andrew told her, looking very upset. "Why would you lie to me, Lily?"

"Andrew," Lily said, horrified with herself. "I haven't—I didn't lie to you. I _do_ like you, Andrew, I _do_. Lorcan was—he's just—I wasn't looking—"

"Just _say it_," said Andrew. "You never wanted to go out with me in the first place, did you?" he demanded. "Did you?"

"Andrew, I—"

"Lily, please," he interrupted pleadingly. He seemed to deflate slightly, and Lily wanted nothing more than to hug him tightly—and that, she suddenly realized, was the problem.

Lily took a deep breath. "Andrew…I don't think we feel the same way about each other," she said quietly. "I like you very much, I do, but…" she had to stop herself from rolling her eyes. She felt like a child. "Just…not in _that_ way. The ball was so much fun with you…but…I don't feel strongly about you. You're my friend," she finished rather lamely.

Andrew heaved a sigh, looking at the tabletop. "Yeah," he said morosely. "I guess you're…you're my friend, too." He looked up at Lily, his eyes sad. "I just wish you'd—I dunno—told me," he said, clearly not trying to sound accusatory.

Lily nodded. "I should've been more honest," she agreed, trying not to make Andrew feel any worse.

He sighed again and looked at her. "I'm going to go study," he said. "I'll see you later." He got up.

"Andrew," Lily said, catching his wrist. "I—I do want to be friends with you," she said.

Andrew nodded. "Me too," he answered. "Just…I can't, right now. Okay?" he asked rather desperately.

"Sure," said Lily.

"Lily?"

She looked around Andrew's elbow, surprised to see Melanie standing behind him.

"I'll see you later," Andrew said again, and he left in a hurry.

Lily sighed exasperatedly, watching him go as Melanie sat down in his place. Lily faced her.

"Yes?" she asked, knowing she sounded rude, but not really caring.

"I wished to speak wiz you," Melanie said, raising a haughty eyebrow. "Eef you are busy, I can come back—"

Lily took a breath, closing her eyes briefly. She was not feeling particularly friendly at the moment, but managed a rather grimace-like smile. "Sorry," she said. "Can I help with something?"

"I wanted you to know," said Melanie, "zat personally, I do not theenk you cheated."

"Oh," Lily said, frowning with mock concern. "Thanks, that helps a lot."

Melanie looked bewildered, and Lily did her best not to roll her eyes.

"Was that it, then?" she asked.

"No," said Melanie, looking haughty once again. "I wanted you to know…I regret telling your teacher zat you did," she added, and Lily scowled at her superior tone. "Eet was foolish of me to theenk zat she would not defend you."

"How kind," Lily said darkly.

"All is fair in zis game, Lily," Melanie told her coldly, narrowing her eyes. "I deed what I thought I must. Eef zat does not fit wiz your sense of comfort, zen zat is not my concern."

"I wouldn't worry much about my sense of comfort, Melanie," Lily said acidly. "I did all right in the task without cheating, if you remember."

Melanie arched an eyebrow, tossing her head slightly. "Amanda and I are still tied for second place," she said. "Ze third task will show 'oo ze real champion is."

"Yeah, it will," Lily said, setting her jaw in the only way that had always sent Albus and James running in terror. Melanie's eyes narrowed again.

"Au revoir, Lily. I shall see you at ze task, I suppose," she said, and she swept to her feet, leaving Lily in a very foul mood indeed.

Angrily, she yanked her books out again, and slammed open her Arithmancy notes. She glared at them without seeing for several minutes, losing herself in thought, when—

"Hi," said a voice tentatively above her head.

"_What?_" Lily snapped irritably, but jumped when she realized that it was Alice and Hugo. "Oh, I'm sorry," she said, shaking her head. "Sorry. I thought you—"

"Rough day?" Hugo asked, raising his eyebrows and sitting down opposite her.

"You could say that," Lily told him, as Alice sat down beside Hugo.

"What did _she_ want?" Alice asked, nodding in the direction of the Ravenclaw table.

"What?" Hugo asked, startled. "A-Amanda?" he asked. "She was here? Was she looking for me?"

"No," Lily assured him quickly. "Not Amanda." Hugo had suggested to Amanda that it would be best if they stopped seeing one another. "Though I still think you should talk to her," she wheedled. "You shouldn't end it because of me."

"She was foul to you," Hugo said, shaking his head, though he looked very downcast, as he had all week. When he was this down, it was easy to see how pale he had become from a long, difficult term with his Animagus lessons. "I should be giving my support to my own school."

"It's been a wonderful year for relationships, hasn't it?" Lily asked with a humorless laugh. Alice and Hugo frowned at her. Lily shook her head. "Andrew and I just ended it, too."

"Oh," Hugo said. "Sorry, Lil."

"Yeah," said Alice, sounding a bit more surprised. "What happened?"

"It doesn't matter, I'll be okay," Lily said, smiling slightly. "I'm sorry for you, though," she told Hugo, reaching across the table to take his hand, and he sighed.

"It doesn't matter," he said, with a flicker of a smile. "I'll be okay."

Alice sighed and patted his arm sympathetically, meeting Lily's eyes. They both heard the lie. Sometimes, Lily really hated Hugo's Gryffindor pride.

Hugo looked at his watch.

"Blimey," he said, looking up and down the table. "I've got a lesson at eight, and I still haven't done that Charms essay," he said. As he spoke, a stack of golden plates appeared in the middle of each of the House tables and began to lay themselves out with forks, knives, and napkins at each place.

Lily hurriedly scooped up her things and closed her book, cramming it into her bag.

"How are the lessons going, Hugo?" she asked, over the clatter of flatware.

Hugo met her eyes.

"Yeah, what's your Animagus form?" Alice asked eagerly.

"Er…" Hugo bit his lip, looking awkwardly between them.

"Hugo, you've been at it for months," Lily said in surprise. "You said McGonagall was having you do theory, but…isn't that a little much?"

"It's not exactly simple," said Hugo, sounding hurt. "Min—McGonagall says it took her almost a year to get it down."

Lily nodded. "I'm sorry," she said. "I didn't mean to insult you, Hugo."

"What happens if you finish the year without figuring out your form?" Alice interrupted.

Hugo shrugged. "They only test Animagi for the registry twice a year, in June and December, so…just have to keep working," he said, trying to sound nonchalant, but Lily could hear the determination in his voice not to let that happen.

"I'm sure it'll be soon," she said brightly, giving him a smile. "You'll get it."

"Yeah, really soon," Alice told him, and Hugo looked at her, smiling broadly for the first time, Lily realized, in far too long.

"Will your Patronus change, when you have a form?" Lily asked suddenly, very curious. The serving platters on the table began to magically fill themselves with food. The Great Hall was becoming more crowded, as people arrived for dinner, and Alice, Lily, and Hugo began to fill their plates.

"Maybe," Hugo said. "Apparently, that happens. I mean, mine's always been the terrier, ever since your dad decided to teach us to do them…I might like being a terrier," he said jokingly. "I'd kind of miss my Patronus if it changed. It's the same as my dad's, you know?

Lily nodded, thinking of her own snowy owl Patronus. Her father, two summers previously, had taken it upon himself to ensure that all of his children, nieces, and nephews, adopted or otherwise, were properly educated and capable of producing a Patronus Charm, in what had become known jokingly as Potter's Patronus Preparatory Academy.

"I like my ferret," Alice said, chewing thoughtfully on a dinner roll. "She's cute."

Hugo laughed. "They're not supposed to be cute, they're supposed to protect you."

"Now you sound like _my_ dad," Lily said, rolling her eyes and helping herself to some soup.

* * *

><p>Later that night, as Lily and Alice were walking Hugo to his lesson from the common room, Alice looked at Lily suddenly.<p>

"You didn't answer my question, Lily," she said, sounding very surprised. "You never said what Melanie wanted with you—at dinner?"

"Oh—nothing," Lily said. "She just…wanted to tell me what I sort of figured out on my own…she cheated too. She just thought she was quicker than we were."

Alice snorted as they turned a corner and started down a staircase. "Didn't stop her from telling Madame Maxime that you cheated, though, did it?"

Lily rolled her eyes. "I know!" she said indignantly. Then she caught sight of Hugo's face, frowning between them as he tucked his just-finished Charms essay in his bag. "What, Hugo?"

"She wasn't—hm," he said, in a very preoccupied tone. "Odd."

"That helps," Alice told him sarcastically.

Hugo threw her an annoyed look. "I thought she might be trying to get on Lily's good side, or to get Lily to trust her," he said.

"Why?" Lily asked.

"Oh," Alice said, suddenly understanding and stopping at the bottom of the stairs. "_Oh!_ You're right…I wonder why she—well, maybe she was, though," she said, touching Hugo's shoulder. "She _was_ trying to tell her the truth, after all."

Lily was watching them with narrowed eyes, her mouth hanging open in confusion.

"That's true," Hugo said. "Maybe she was."

They both looked back at Lily, as if to ask her opinion, and seemed startled by her bewildered expression.

"Care to explain?" she asked, laughing.

"Well, Alice and I were talking about it on the way to dinner," Hugo said, starting to walk again. Alice and Lily trotted to catch up. "I had a thought the other day—"

"Did it hurt?" Alice asked, snorting and giggling to herself before she was silenced by Hugo's look of bored exasperation. "Sorry," she said. "Heard that a few days ago…never mind, carry on," she said meekly, and Hugo thanked her sarcastically.

He turned back to Lily. "I thought that—well, have you noticed the tasks have something odd about them?" he asked.

"Something odd?"

"No—well—okay, not odd, but…they have a certain effect on the competition between the three of you?" Hugo asked, clearly struggling to put this into words. He stopped on the balcony that overlooked the entrance hall.

"I think you need to help me a bit more, Hugo," Lily said, but Alice interrupted.

"The first task literally threw all of you in a panic, all in the same space at the same time, it pitted you against each other," she said.

"All the tasks pit us—"

"Yes, they _do_, but that Snitch thing was sort of a vicious way to do it, don't you think?" Hugo asked. Lily thought for a moment. Melanie had broken Amanda's arm in that task…she, Lily, had crash-landed in her panic…

"Then that stupid second task—no offense to your mum, Hugo, sorry—that just made it worse. It got you to sabotage each other," said Alice.

"I didn't sabotage them, though," Lily said.

Alice nodded. "I know, but it gave you the chance. It was like…they—the judges—they wanted to see if you _would_."

Lily sat up, frowning. It made sense, she realized. The tasks weren't simply testing magical skill or adaptability…

"It's like they're experimenting with how the three of you…work," Hugo said, as though he couldn't come up with the right word. He stood, looking at her seriously. "They want to know what happens to the way you use your magic when you don't trust each other. Will you use it against each other, or defensively, or will you try and help each other, you know?"

Lily sighed, and turned to lean against the railing of the entrance hall. Her eyes lingered on the multicolored banners that decorated the wall above the castle's large double doors, the war memorial that had been a part of the castle since before Mum and Dad were even married. Dozens of scarlet and gold silk flags, black and yellow pennants, blue and silver streamers, a smattering of green and silver here and there, and a green and silver square in the very center, slightly larger than the others of its kind. She sighed, and Alice and Hugo stood on either side of her, following her gaze with somber expressions.

There was a noise below, and the three looked down to see a crowd of violet-robed Salem Institute girls just leaving the Great Hall. Lily spied Amanda with them. She, too, had stopped to look up at the banners, and Lily could see that her eyes were red and puffy. Suddenly, Amanda looked up to the balcony, meeting Lily's gaze, then turned away quickly and followed her friends, but Lily could have sworn she saw a flash of anger in her eyes.

She turned back to Alice and Hugo. "If last weekend was any indication of what they're trying to do to us, I'm not sure I want to know what the third task is, after all."

Hugo and Alice nodded earnestly, and Lily sighed again, feeling the weight of this very, very bad day.

* * *

><p>Hi guys! First off, thank you so much for your super amazingly kind reviews. Love you all! And I hope you like the war memorial...I was anxious about including Slytherins other than Snape. I know the students were evacuated, but I have to imagine that there were *some* Slytherins who were on the right side (I mean, theoretically, Andromeda Tonks was a Slytherin, and I imagine she would've picked our side, right?)...I dunno, maybe. Didn't want to be too mean.<p>

Second, I have a couple of quick questions/notes for you.

Note #1: I'm running this fun little challenge over on HPFC called the Clue Prank Competition, and I only have space for nine more people. I'd LOVE it if you'd check it out. The link's on my profile.

Question #1: I'm considering a massively brain-explodingly epic project (a la Oh, Harry and Honestly, Ronald) on the Battle of Hogwarts. I have about fifty different perspectives I'm going to chronicle the ENTIRE battle from, in one-shot form. I wanted to ask you a question about who gets placed where in the chronology. I'm having a little trouble deciding Minerva's story. There are three choices. A.) We see 'The Scream' through Minerva's eyes. B.) We see the post-Battle freakout/celebration through Minerva's eyes (because as of right now, Voldemort has the last word, and I am NOT okay with that...*grumpy face*) C.) We see BOTH through Minerva's eyes and say TO HELL WITH JUST ONE ONE-SHOT PER CHARACTER.

Good god, that was a lot, I'm sorry. But yes. So, any of the above that you'd be willing to answer are magnificently welcome. I'm sorry for such a long note. Love you guys.

Lucy


	19. Career Counseling

Sorry about the false start, people! Here's the real thing!

* * *

><p>Chapter Nineteen<p>

Career Counseling

March came in with snowstorms and biting cold, much to the displeasure of the Hogwarts students and staff. The cold was overwhelming; Herbology classes ended early nearly every day and Care of Magical Creatures was canceled entirely for nearly a week when a particularly nasty blizzard struck.

Lily noticed a distinct drop in the mood among her fellow Gryffindors during this time. She couldn't blame them. She, Hugo, and Alice were all in foul moods after their experiences with Michael, Amanda, and Andrew. Lily felt particularly sorry for Hugo and Amanda, for she still felt guilty about coming between them. Hugo, however, was reluctant to discuss the matter, and Lily did not pursue it.

Lily also found herself watching Andrew a great deal. He tended to avoid sitting too close to her at mealtimes, or being in the common room at the same time, and he and Lily had not had much success trying to be casual friends. This did nothing to improve her mood. She had long since stopped talking to Lorcan (who seemed very content with Cordelia Gramercy, from what Lily could tell), and the loss of Andrew was not a welcome event.

Still, though, Hugo, Alice, and Lily found themselves enjoying a wonderfully harmonious final term at Hogwarts. The third task was ages off. Lily was working hard for her classes, while Alice and Hugo started to prepare for N.E.W.T.s (though Alice certainly put up a good fight). Best of all, Lily's victory in the second task had allowed a kind of relaxation between them which, though none of them had noticed, had been missing all year.

In mid-April, the three were eating breakfast in the Great Hall. Lily snorted, rolling her eyes at Albus' latest letter. He was starting to lament putting off his Auror training, because it meant he had been subjected to two years of product testing in Diagon Alley—which, as far as James and Fred were concerned, was really just sanctioned pranking—and had just recently been the victim of a new item known as Edible Ink Achoos.

Still sniggering at the multicolored splatters of ink that were here and there on the parchment, Lily drew her wand and picked up her second letter of the morning, which Calliope had just dropped with her at the breakfast table. In addition to writing her parents, she had sent Teddy and Victoire an account of her second task, and asked for an update; she had not heard from Teddy after answering his letter from before the first task, and was used to much more regular correspondence. Finally, though, Teddy had written back.

She opened the letter excitedly and began to read.

"How's Ted?" Hugo yawned across the table, reaching for the coffee. He had spent nearly every night of the last two and a half months practicing, either on his own or in lessons with Professor McGonagall, and was in a state of perpetual exhaustion.

Lily did not hear him right away. She was busy reading and re-reading the fourth line of Teddy's letter. Five…six…seven times.

"Lily?" Alice asked, and Lily passed the letter across the table, feeling very confused and upset, mingled with an overwhelming joy.

"Victoire's p-pregnant," Alice spluttered, dropping her spoon into her cereal.

Hugo choked and lunged for the letter. "_What?_" he demanded.

"She's nearly four months pregnant," Lily said in a disbelieving voice, torn between laughter and tears. "And they just found out." Teddy…a father…_her_ Teddy, a father…

"I've always wondered how babies come as a surprise," Alice mused, grinning at Hugo. "Seems like it's not really something you'd forget about doing…"

Hugo snorted. "Molly!" he bellowed down the table, and Molly looked around, appalled. "Get over here! Where's your sister?"

Molly stared, clearly fearful for Hugo's sanity, but then she got up and walked to the Ravenclaw table to tap Lucy on the shoulder. She jerked her head in the direction of the Gryffindor table, where Alice was grinning manically beside Hugo, who was waving the letter madly in the air as Lily stared at the tabletop in shock, still trying to process what she had just read.

_Vic and I are going to be parents, Pixie! And it's a boy, we're really excited…We're thinking of calling him Remus…_

"I—have to go," she said suddenly, getting up and leaving the Great Hall without looking back, even when she heard Molly and Lucy's excited squeals.

She walked to Arithmancy alone, her head spinning. She was happy, of course, but also confused…and perhaps even a bit hurt. It had been a long time since she'd really been mad about Teddy. She thought with embarrassment about her first two years at Hogwarts, when she had imagined dramatic scenarios filled with his declarations of love for her, and his expressions of bliss when he received her weekly letters. She had been utterly brokenhearted when he had married Victoire before third year.

Lily shook her head. She was happy, she told herself. It was _wonderful_. Her cousin was going to have a baby. She and Teddy were excited, they were going to have a son…

So why did Lily feel so downcast? She stopped at the top of the stairs, leaning against the wall outside the classroom.

"Hi, Lily."

She started, and found herself looking up at Lorcan Scamander, who was watching her with an expression of polite concern.

"Are you all right?" he asked, coming closer. Lily nodded.

"Fine, thanks," she said, stiffening slightly.

Lorcan looked surprised at her tone. "Are you sure?"

"Yes, thank you," Lily said, more firmly. It was the first time she and Lorcan had spoken in—well, months, really. She had avoided him in class, at mealtimes…her embarrassment and disappointment over the Yule Ball had faded into an old scar, but she was still reluctant to be friendly with Lorcan the way she once had.

"How have you been?" he asked. "I—I guess I didn't have a chance to tell you congratulations."

"Congratulations?" asked Lily, her mind still on Teddy and Victoire.

"On the second task," Lorcan told her. "Coming in first. It was nice to see you win."

"Oh," Lily said, smiling despite herself. "Thanks. It—it was nice to win," she said rather foolishly.

Lorcan gave a little laugh and stepped closer. "So, you've been okay?"

Lily looked into his kind, concerned eyes, her mouth slightly agape. "Yeah," she managed, before tears sprang to her eyes and she gave a dry sob.

"Lily!" Lorcan, looking very startled, put his hands on her arms.

"I'm sorry," she said, trying to regain control of herself. She shook her head. "I'm sorry—"

"Miss Potter?"

Lily, her eyes still streaming, pulled away from Lorcan, very startled to see Professor Vector, who was just arriving to the classroom door. More students from the Arithmancy class were arriving; Lily was embarrassed to see that the Hufflepuffs were all watching her with great interest.

"Is everything all right?" Professor Vector asked.

"Lily's just a bit strained, Professor," Lorcan said before Lily could answer. He put an arm tightly around her shoulders. "May I have permission to take her to the hospital wing?"

"I think you'd better," said Professor Vector, looking at Lily with great concern. "You have my permission, Scamander, go on."

"Thank you, Professor," Lorcan said, and he steered Lily past the class now queuing on the stairs. Lily bowed her head, wishing her hair was untied so that she might cover her face. As it was, she caught sight of Danielle Zabini smirking and rolling her eyes, and Lily felt a few more tears slide down her cheeks.

It was not until they arrived in the hospital wing corridor that Lily finally calmed down enough to speak.

"Lorcan," she said, pulling away from him slightly and stopping before a suit of armor. "I don't need the hospital. I'll be fine. I just—"

"I think you should have a Calming Draught, Lily," Lorcan said.

"I don't need a Calming Draught," said Lily rather harshly, stepping back and wiping her cheeks. "We should go back to class."

"Lily," he said slowly. "I—I'm not entirely sure what's happened between us these last couple of months…but you and I have always been friends. Have I done something to upset you?"

Lily stared at him for a moment, frowning slightly. She sighed and closed her eyes. "It's just not been a good morning," she said.

"Seems more like it hasn't been a good few months," Lorcan said conversationally.

Lily laughed in spite of herself. "It's just…I don't know," she said rather desperately. "I'm just confused…about a lot of things. About the tournament, and me, and what I _want_—my grades are okay for now, but, they have to be better before exams start…"

"Lily," Lorcan said, holding up a hand.

"Sorry," she said, feeling suddenly foolish. "I shouldn't be telling you all this."

"No, no, not at all," said Lorcan quickly. "I only meant that…well, I think that there might be something else bothering you." Lily stared at him. "I'm sorry, I don't mean to be rude."

Lily sighed, looking away for a moment and smiling slightly. "Victoire…you remember my cousin?"

"She's married to—Teddy, isn't it?" Lorcan asked. "I remember the wedding, I think."

Lily nodded. "They wrote me this morning," she said. _Why are you saying this? Why are you telling anyone else? Keep it to yourself! No, don't say it, Lily Potter, don't you—_ "Victoire's pregnant."

"Really?" Lorcan asked in surprise. "Well, that's wonderful," he said. "Isn't it?" He eyed Lily shrewdly.

_Yes, it bloody well is, Lily, so just nod your head and drop it! _She nodded. "Yes," she said.

"Hm," said Lorcan, frowning. Lily faltered slightly under his gaze. "Are you sure?"

"Of—of _course_," she said. "Of _course_, a baby is…a baby's wonderful." Tears filled her eyes again, and she looked at the floor, ashamed and hurt. "I'm just being stupid."

"That happens to me on a regular basis," said Lorcan, and Lily laughed, wiping away her tears.

"I'll be all right, now," she said. "It's just a big surprise."

"Maybe we'd better actually go see Madam Pomfrey, just in case," Lorcan suggested. Lily frowned. "She might tell Professor Vector if we don't turn up. They'll think we ran off together," he said with a slightly awkward laugh.

Lily blushed. "Don't want that," she mumbled, an involuntary smile creeping onto her face. "Cordelia wouldn't like it much."

"Cordelia?" Lorcan asked. Lily stared at him. "Oh, you mean—_oh_." A look of horror appeared on his face. "Did you think we were—? Oh, no, no, we just went to the ball together," he said quickly. "We've been friends for ages, so we agreed that if—if we didn't have anyone, we'd be each other's dates. But…you thought…_oh_." His eyes widened. "Lily, I'm sorry—no—we—"

"Not at all," Lily said quickly, flushing bright pink. "No, _I'm_ sorry, it's not my business at all, I shouldn't have—"

"—So embarrassed, and you thought—"

"—I should've paid more attention—"

"—All this time, should've just _told_ you—"

"—Haven't spoken in _months_—"

They both laughed, equally embarrassed. Lily put a hand on his arm. "I'm really sorry," she said. "Really."

"Me too," said Lorcan. "Are—can we go back to the way things were before? Will Andrew mind, if we do?" he added hastily.

"Oh—er," Lily said. "Andrew and I aren't…together…Lorcan Scamander, you knew that, didn't you?" she asked, laughing, and Lorcan blushed.

"Just because we didn't talk, it doesn't mean I didn't see," he said, and Lily shoved his shoulder, chuckling.

"Come on," Lorcan said, nodding to the hospital wing doors. "Let's go in. Then we'll head back to Arithmancy."

Madam Pomfrey fussed over Lily for a short while and gave her a Calming Draught before allowing her to leave with Lorcan. They had missed the end of Arithmancy, and so headed downstairs to the dungeons. Professor Patil glanced at them rather sharply as they hurried in, but they were only a few paces behind the rest of the class, and she thankfully did not take any House points.

"Why were you with Lorcan?" Alice whispered as Lily pulled out her book and potionmaking kit.

"Just catching up," Lily whispered back.

"Why are you blushing?" Hugo asked, looking revolted, and Alice whacked his shoulder.

* * *

><p>Several weeks later, towards the end of May, Lily was sitting outside with Alice, Hugo, and Lorcan, who had, sometime in the last few weeks, ingratiated himself as a welcome fourth member of their group. Lily worked on one of her final pieces of homework while the other three played a game with a butterbeer cork that involved pelting it at one another when study questions were answered incorrectly. Hugo and Lorcan were winning.<p>

"If you throw that at me one more time, Weasley—" Alice said, lunging for the butterbeer cork.

"Hello, Professor McGonagall, how are you today?" Lorcan asked politely, and Alice spun in horror as Hugo burst into laughter. Lily chuckled, glancing up from her Charms essay.

"That was _not funny_," Alice said ruefully, glaring back at the boys.

"Yes it was," Lily told her, and she ducked to avoid the flying butterbeer cork.

"Alice, pay attention," Hugo said, pointing his wand at the cork; it zoomed into his hand. "Exams are in about two weeks—"

"I know, I know," she said irritably, moving to sit closer to Lily. "And we need jobs."

"You'll get into the Auror training, Alice," Lily told her, as Alice rested her head on Lily's shoulder and sighed. "Don't worry. I mean, after all, Albus managed it, whether or not he took the time off…actually, maybe I should talk to Dad about his standards…" Hugo snorted.

"Hugo's right, though, you need to pass your exams first," Lorcan put in helpfully, and Alice sighed again.

"What are you doing with your N.E.W.T.s, Lorcan?" asked Hugo.

Lorcan shrugged. "I've always been interested in magical creatures…though that's sort of been done in my family," he joked.

"Just like joke shops and Dark Arts prevention in our family, then?" asked Lily, nodding to Hugo. Lorcan smiled.

"I might like to help Dad out for a while, just researching and things. I kind of like the idea of tending to sick animals," he said. "At the Magical Menagerie, maybe, or…" He blushed and looked out over the lake. The giant squid was squirming playfully in the shadows with the Finnigan twins and several other fifth-years, who were obviously celebrating their last day before they had to seal themselves into a whirl of studying for their O.W.L.s.

"What, Lorcan?" Lily asked, lowering her book and leaning over her knees. She had never heard anyone express an interest in taking care of sick magical creatures. Even Molly preferred Healing wizards to animals.

Lorcan shrugged. "I dunno," he said casually. "It might be cool to have my own shop. In Hogsmeade, maybe, or Diagon Alley."

"Cool," Hugo said decidedly, nodding.

"What do you want to do?" Lorcan asked him.

"Write," Alice and Lily said in unison, before Hugo could speak.

Hugo gave them a look of feigned irritation. "They're right, actually," he said. "I'd like to write books on magical history."

"Really?" Lorcan asked. "I thought all you Gryffindors hated History of Magic."

"We do," Alice and Lily said in unison once again, and they burst into hysterical laughter.

Hugo rolled his eyes. "It can be boring, the way some people approach it," he said. "But I want to actually go traveling, you know? I want to go to all—"

"All those fascinating places," Alice finished for him.

"All those thrilling worlds!" Lily cried, and the two girls fell on top of each other laughing. Hugo shook his head, chuckling good-naturedly.

"At least they've heard something I've said in the last seven years," he shrugged. "Hey, you," he said to Alice, cracking open his Defense Against the Dark Arts book. "Your favorite subject, come on," he wheedled.

Alice sat up, grinning. "Ask me anything," she said, baring her teeth in a brilliant, slightly manic grin.

"What do you want to do, Lily?"

Alice and Hugo stopped talking, and looked between Lorcan and Lily questioningly. Lily was staring at him with her mouth slightly open.

"I—uh—well—it depends on how my—my grades turn out," she stammered.

Alice was frowning. Hugo closed his book.

"Don't you know what you might like to do?" Lorcan asked, in a tone of great surprise.

"N-not really," Lily said. The words were out before she could stop them, and she put one hand over her mouth. Alice was chewing her lip as she shared a significant look with Hugo. Lily's indecisiveness was usually a sensitive subject that was quickly glossed over. Friend though Lorcan might be, he did not spend enough time with them to know this.

"Hm," he said, folding his hands and adopting the expression of one who had been set a particularly difficult piece of homework. "That's interesting. What do you like to do?" he asked.

Lily turned red. "Well—"

"Wait a minute," Alice said in a tone of sudden realization, pointing a finger at Lily. "How did you get past my father without telling him what you wanted to do? They don't let you keep going unless you tell them what you think you might want to do for a job."

"I—I told him I was interested in—in—"

Lorcan tilted his head to one side. "Becoming a teacher?" he asked. Hugo and Alice stared at him, plainly wondering whether he'd taken leave of his senses.

"Oh, come off it, a teacher?" Alice asked in disbelief, as Hugo cut across her.

"I can't really picture Lils being a teacher, Lorcan," he said, who seemed rather taken aback by this turn of the conversation.

"Yes."

Hugo and Alice's shocked faces now turned to stare at Lily, who hadn't broken eye contact with Lorcan.

"_What?_" Alice asked. "You—you want to be a teacher? Here, at Hogwarts?"

Lily met her eyes, starting to smile rather sheepishly. "Eventually," she said with a small shrug, and Hugo gaped at her. "What?" she asked, feeling rather defensive. "I don't _really_ know, it's not like they're going to hire me at eighteen—I don't have any idea what I'll do in the meantime—"

"That's brilliant," Lorcan said. "You'd be a great teacher."

Lily blushed. "It's just an idea right now. I don't know what I'll do before that. Maybe I'll join the Aurors," she told Alice. "Good training for the first-years."

Alice laughed, and Hugo reopened his book to start quizzing. Lily looked down into her lap again, where her Charms essay awaited a conclusion paragraph. As she did, she met Lorcan's eyes briefly and gave him a small smile, which he returned.

The next week, seventh-year classes ended, and Lily began taking the N.E.W.T.s that would become her final grades. Every other evening immediately before dinner she would report to a different teacher's office for her theory exam, followed by another theory exam after dinner; it was not a wholly different experience from O.W.L.s, Lily realized, except for the fact that the theory tests were set by her own professors. The grades would even go to the Ministry with her classmates'. The practical exams, however, were quite a surprise.

She took her Astronomy and Charms theory exams on the same night, and the next night followed with the practical for each. Both Professor Sinistra and Professor Flitwick had told Lily to report to the Great Hall that night, and when she arrived, she was surprised to find all of the Heads of Houses—Flitwick, Sinistra, Longbottom, and Macmillan—waiting for her with Professor McGonagall.

"It is the best way to ensure fair grading, since we have no Ministry representatives present," Professor McGonagall informed her, and Lily swallowed, her mouth dry.

Rather than being given the chance to observe from the Astronomy tower, Lily was asked to fill in a star chart from memory and answer oral questions about seasons and the observation of the stars.

She was then asked to perform an hour's worth of complex Charms on a set of living room furniture that Professor Longbottom conjured for her. When she had successfully managed to make the armchair's upholstery change from muddy brown chintz to pale blue silk, and cast a good enough Shield Charm to stop it from bursting into bluebell flames which she aimed at it, she was released, and told that her Potions and Herbology theory exams would come next.

Despite the initial shock of the practical exam, Lily thought she had managed a good pass in each subject. There was a bit of bad business with a rather unfortunate mislabeling of Scorpio, and a wild stab at an incantation she could not remember on her Charms theory paper, but she thought both classes would come back with good grades.

Potions, predictably, went rather more into the gray area. Lily would be happy if she managed an Acceptable in that class. It had seemed like a good idea to keep her options open, since she had passed her O.W.L. in Potions, but she really had little patience or love for the subject. Herbology was all right, apart from nearly being strangled by a Snargaluff plant in front of her teachers. It too seemed like another bare pass.

Theory of Transfiguration and Defense Against the Dark Arts, to her surprise and great happiness, went very well. It was her last double set of exams, on Friday evening, which was also the night that the Ministry officials arrived to grade N.E.W.T.s and O.W.L.s. They joined Professor Macmillan and Professor Shacklebolt in the theory exams that night, and observed her practical exams on Monday night, which also went swimmingly.

"So this is the Triwizard champion," said a tiny little witch in violet robes as she surveyed Lily. She had dark hair that was liberally streaked with gray. "You look a great deal like your mother," she said kindly. Lily blushed as the witch shook her hand. "I flew with her for a while, on the Harpies. Great Chaser. Do you play Quidditch?"

"Er—"

"I think we're ready to begin," called Professor Macmillan from across the Great Hall, and Lily gave the examiner a brief, apologetic smile before hurrying over to the iguana she was meant to be Transfiguring.

It wasn't until Monday night, when she sat her Arithmancy theoretical and practical exams at once, that Lily felt she had managed an Outstanding.

"Excellent work, Miss Potter," Professor McGonagall said as she and Lily left the Great Hall after the examiners. "You have an aptitude for Arithmancy."

"Thank you, Professor," Lily said with a grin, feeling very proud indeed.

Professor McGonagall stopped at the base of the stairs in the entrance hall. "Mr. McLaggen has requested that the three champions meet with him, some time in the next few weeks. He will be outlining the third task for you all."

"Oh," Lily said. "Er—okay. Sure, I'll be there."

"I should think so," said Professor McGonagall in a tone of mild amusement. Lily blushed. "You'd best return to Gryffindor Tower, Miss Potter. It's getting rather—"

"Professor?" Lily interrupted. Professor McGonagall raised an eyebrow. "Do—d'you know what—what I would…have to do if—ifIwanbeetchereer?"

Professor McGonagall blinked. "I beg your pardon?"

Lily took a deep breath. "I don't know…if…if Professor Longbottom's mentioned it—or maybe he has to, so we can do our N.E.W.T.s, but—"

"Oh," Professor McGonagall said, closing her eyes and nodding. "You're curious about following your ambition to be a teacher." Lily nodded, and Professor McGonagall turned to climb the stairs. Lily followed her, watching her expression anxiously. "I do know of your hopeful career, and, if I may say, I think it is an admirable choice. However," she said, and Lily's stomach dropped to her feet. "I am not in the practice of hiring eighteen-year-olds to my staff."

"Right," Lily said softly, and she felt a surge of disappointment. Somewhere in her mind she had known this all along; it nonetheless hurt to hear.

"Perhaps, however, you could give me a bit more information on what you might like to teach," said Professor McGonagall as they reached the top of the stairs and turned down a corridor.

"Er—" Lily's mind was a blank. In her head, she had always imagined that choosing a subject would be like removing one of her own professors from a job; she'd always avoided it.

"Arithmancy, perhaps?" asked Professor McGonagall. "You seem to like it a great deal."

"I do," Lily said quickly. "I—er—I don't know, really—"

"You're more concerned about the tasks with which you should fill your time between now and the next opening at Hogwarts," Professor McGonagall said shrewdly, and Lily shrugged.

"I just—I don't know how to practice for something like teaching," she admitted. "It's not like Auror training, or apprenticeship, or a Ministry job."

"This is very true," said Professor McGonagall thoughtfully. "I can't speak much from my personal experience, I'm afraid," she told Lily. "I took a position in the Ministry out of school, myself, one that had very little to do with my ultimate career."

Lily blinked. It was very odd to imagine Professor McGonagall ever doing anything besides teaching. She was tightly bound to Hogwarts in Lily's mind; she never thought of one without the other.

"I may suggest pursuing a practice that is in some way related to your desired field," Professor McGonagall continued. "I know, for example, that Professor Macmillan wrote for _Transfiguration Today_ for quite a while before applying here. And Professor Patil undertook an apprenticeship in an apothecary." She stopped before a suit of armor, and Lily faced her, her brow furrowed.

She nodded. "I just…well, I don't know what kind of job is suited to my interests."

"Your interests?" asked Professor McGonagall, frowning.

"Arithmancy," Lily said. "Numerology, Astronomy."

A corner of Professor McGonagall's mouth twitched slightly and she lifted her chin, peering down at Lily through her square-framed spectacles.

"You know, I recommended an interesting book to Mr. Weasley," she said lightly. "Perhaps you know if he's read it?" Lily stared at her, very confused.

"Er—well, Hugo reads a lot of—"

"Oh, I know, Miss Potter," said Professor McGonagall, and Lily couldn't help but hear a note of pride in her voice. "But I wonder if you have noticed him reading a book called _Numerology and Its Uses in Traditional Wandmaking, _by Octavia Agon?"

There was a somewhat stunned silence. "Wandmaking?" Lily asked.

"Yes, I thought it was rather an intriguing topic, myself," Professor McGonagall said. "And, as it happens, I know that the current Mr. Ollivander is not entirely opposed to the idea of taking on an apprentice or two, should the right person come along."

"You think I should try wandmaking, Professor?" asked Lily incredulously. Wandmaking was famously complex, a science studied for years on end, a never-ending search for the perfect match of wood and core.

"I think you should try anything that you feel a deep interest in, Miss Potter. I assure you, your professors here will be more than happy to assist you in your search in any way they can," Professor McGonagall told her. She nodded over Lily's shoulder. "I believe the Fat Lady is restlessly awaiting your arrival." Lily turned to see the Fat Lady's portrait, very surprised to find herself at Gryffindor Tower already.

"Oh—right," she said. "Well, er—thank you, Professor. Good night."

"Good night, Miss Potter," said Professor McGonagall, and she turned on her heel, sweeping off down the corridor. Lily stared after her for several minutes, stunned, but filled with a sensation of growing excitement.

Wandmaking…what a brilliant idea, Lily thought. She had read the wandmaking book from cover to cover several times since Hugo had given it to her, but never did it occur to her to try for a career of studying the numerology and Arithmancy of wandmaking.

"Were you going to come inside?" asked the Fat Lady impatiently.

"Oh—er—_portentum_," Lily said, and the portrait hole swung open.

Lily hurried through. That night, she stayed up late penning a letter to Mr. Ollivander, only looking up when Alice and Roxy had returned from their late night of studying.

"How'd it go?" mumbled Alice sleepily as she climbed into bed.

"Fine," Lily told her, picking up her wand and tapping the letter. It sealed itself immediately, and she set it on her nightstand to take to the Owlery before breakfast. "It was just Arithmancy. What have you all got tomorrow?"

"Potions theory," Roxy groaned. "And practical. Who're you writing to?"

"Just—Mum," Lily lied. She wasn't all that sure she wanted to share her plans just yet. "She and Dad are coming for the third task."

"S'nice," said Roxy, and in a few minutes, the dormitory was filled with the sound of her gentle snores. Lily smiled and tapped the lamp with her wand so that it flicked off, and wriggled down beneath her blankets. She looked at her wand for several long minutes in the moonlight, running her fingers over the oak handle.

"Brilliant," she murmured, before finally setting her wand aside and going to sleep.


	20. Silver Wings

Chapter Twenty

Silver Wings

The next week flew by; for all intents and purposes, and with the exception of the ever-looming third task, Lily was done with school. She watched Hugo, Alice, Roxanne, Henry, Andrew, and Michael wade through their last-ever Hogwarts exams. A level of anxiety that was rather more akin to hysteria was welling up among the seventh-years as N.E.W.T.s carried on; it seemed to be only just occurring to many members of Lily's class that these exams really would determine the course of their lives after school.

Lily, too, found herself struck with small ripples of nausea; though she had taken her exams early, she would be expected to wait for her grades just as long as her classmates, and quickly found herself reliving moments of her exams, where she had misspoken an incantation, or incorrectly described the uses of a particular plant.

So naturally, it did not help to watch her classmates experience similar feelings in fits and bursts; on the third day of exams, she witnessed Andrea Moon being escorted from the Great Hall during the Charms practical, looking very ill and very angry.

With Alice and Hugo so distracted, and Molly busy studying for her own exams, Lily took to spending time on the Hogwarts grounds. She was painfully aware, as the year drew to a close, that she would be leaving Hogwarts soon, with no idea when, if ever, she would return. As a result, her afternoons were spent in Hagrid's company, following him around his garden after his classes ended and drinking cold dandelion juice on his doorstep.

On the last day of exams; they were sitting on his front steps, looking out over the lake. It was hot, but breezy, and Hagrid and Lily were awaiting the arrival of Alice, who was finishing her Defense Against the Dark Arts exam. Hugo had finished his N.E.W.T.s the previous day, though Lily had been unable to find him when she left for Hagrid's.

"Never got a chance ter tell yeh how proud I was of yeh," said Hagrid rather gruffly.

Lily, who was sitting several steps higher than him, but was still at his eye level, looked round. "What?"

"Fer doin' so well in the tournament," Hagrid said, waving a huge hand in the air. "Fer takin' firs' in the task, fer workin' so hard ter make everyone proud. Yer family's impressed," he added, giving her a knowing look. "An' so am I. Knew yeh had it in yeh."

Lily looked down, suddenly bashful. "Thanks, Hagrid," she said, and Hagrid clapped her on the shoulder, nearly sending her tumbling down the steps.

"Yeh remin' me a lot o' yer dad," he said thoughtfully, catching Lily by her collar and pulling her back onto the stoop. "An' yer mum," he shrugged. "But yer dad, he was always doin' what yer doin' now." Hagrid pointed at Lily. "Sayin' how wha' he did wasn' that great, lookin' sheepish when he deserved the credit. It's not bad," he said. "Jus' funny, how things like tha' carry on."

Lily watched Hagrid's face for a moment as he looked over the grounds. He was, perhaps, a bit grayer than he had been in the photographs scattered around her house, a bit more lined, but so much the same, loving person her family knew and adored. Overcome with a sudden rush of affection for Hagrid, with whom she would only spend another few weeks, Lily threw her arms around his neck.

Hagrid chuckled, surprised for a moment, and patted her arm gently. "Yer a good girl, Lily," he said, nodding affirmatively. "Yer gonna take this tournamen'. I know it." Lily looked up into Hagrid's face, smiling, but faltered at the look in his eyes.

"Why are you looking at me like that, Hagrid?" she asked.

"I'm not lookin' at yeh any special way," Hagrid said quickly, taking a sip from his huge tankard of juice. Lily watched him out of the corner of her eyes for several minutes, but Hagrid made no motion to speak further. Lily consulted her watch.

"It's past time for the exam to finish," she said, frowning. "I wonder where Alice is."

"Did yeh leave the message fer her?" Hagrid asked. Lily nodded. "Eh, she'll be along, then," Hagrid said casually, waving his hand again.

"Hugo's missing too," Lily said. "I haven't seen him all day, come to think of it," she added with sudden realization.

Hagrid shrugged, but before he could answer her, there was a long, loud yell that startled them both. Lily stood up, watching in amusement as Alice sprinted down the lawn, almost flying, and yelling at the top of her voice. Several fourth-years by the lake looked around in alarm as she ran towards Hagrid's house and leapt into a cartwheel, which she finished neatly at Hagrid's feet, looking positively joyous.

"Finished, are you?" asked Lily, as she and Hagrid roared with laughter. Alice did a mad little dance and turned another cartwheel.

"Completely!" she cried gleefully, flopping onto the grass, panting. "Merlin's beard, I didn't know it would feel this good to be _finished_ with school! We're done! Lily! We're done with exams, and classes, and everything!" Alice leapt to her feet and seized Lily by the shoulders, dragging her in a circle as she laughed maniacally.

Hagrid stood up, brushing off his trousers. "Didn' think yeh'd be so glad ter be rid of us, Alice," he chuckled good-naturedly, and Alice released Lily to accept a bone-cracking hug.

"Oh, Hagrid, you know I'm not really going anywhere," she said, patting his arm when he'd released her. "Dad spends more time here than Mum thinks is healthy. I'm sure I'll be up here all the time prying him away from his newest friends in the greenhouses."

Hagrid laughed again. "C'mon in, I'll make yeh a pot o' tea," he said, and Lily and Alice followed him inside.

"Have you seen Hugo today?" Lily asked Alice as Hagrid set a plate of rock cakes out on the table and put the kettle on the fire.

"No," Alice said. "I thought he'd be with you. His exams finished yesterday."

Lily shook her head. "I haven't seen him at all."

There was a sudden sound of fluttering wings at the window, and Alice and Lily looked around in surprise.

"Gallopin' gargoyles!" Hagrid cried, jumping backward and nearly upsetting the table. On the sill of the open window sat a very large, magnificently beautiful falcon.

"What—how—" Alice gaped at the bird. It cocked its head inquisitively at her, and they could see long streaks of silver feathers that caught the light, which spread from its head and down its wings.

Lily stood slowly, taking a few steps toward the falcon, and extended her arm.

"Lily, get back," Hagrid said urgently, but quite suddenly, the falcon spread its massive wings and fluttered delicately onto Lily's arm. She laughed, and the falcon spread its wings out again for a moment, as if demonstrating his impressiveness. He whacked one wing straight in Lily's face.

"Hugo!" she laughed, and the falcon squeezed her arm in his talons before taking off through the kitchen window.

"Hugo?" Hagrid asked.

"Hugo Weasley, you idiot!" Alice yelled, wrenching open the front door and running out onto the lawn, Lily and Hagrid on her heels. "You didn't tell us the exam was today!" she shouted to the sky. Lily looked up and watched as Hugo, in his Animagus form, circled three times high above their heads, then alighted delicately on the lawn.

With a small _pop_, Hugo stood before them, grinning broadly.

"You passed!" Lily shrieked.

"I passed," he said, as Alice leapt into his arms and hugged him.

"Yer an Animagus?" Hagrid asked, sounding a bit bewildered.

"He's a _falcon_," Alice said in awe.

"We'll explain, Hagrid," Lily promised, reaching up to pat Hagrid's elbow.

* * *

><p>"I'll bet McGonagall was really happy," Lily said as they walked up the steps to the entrance hall a short while later. The sun was going down; it was nearly time for dinner.<p>

Hugo shrugged. "She went and wrote my Mum right away," he said. "That'll be a good letter—'Hugo Ronald Weasley, I cannot believe you wouldn't tell us about this—' She'll probably ground me for doing extra credit work." Lily laughed.

"I still can't believe you didn't tell _us_ about the _exam_!" she said indignantly, pushing open the castle doors.

"I didn't think I would pass," Hugo insisted. "I thought I'd have to just keep waiting—"

"You didn't even tell us you had a form yet," Alice told him. Hugo rolled his eyes.

"Miss Potter."

Lily looked around. Next to the doors of the Great Hall stood Professor Bishop, Madame Maxime, Professor McGonagall, Melanie, Amanda, and Cormac McLaggen. Lily stared at them all.

"We'd like a word," said Mr. McLaggen, waving her over. He was smiling, but the other teachers looked rather grim, and Melanie and Amanda were watching Lily with the same look of mistrust she now gave them.

"I'll see you later," Lily mumbled, and left Alice and Hugo to walk into the Great Hall without her.

"Excellent," Mr. McLaggen said, clapping his hands together. "If you'll all follow me!" He led the way to a first-floor classroom, where he held the door open for the others. "Sit down, Miss Potter, Miss Morgan, Mademoiselle Chevalier," he said, following Professor Bishop into the room.

Frowning, Lily sank down behind a rather dusty desk. She was determinedly avoiding eye contact with Melanie and Amanda, though she could feel their glances. Professor Bishop, Madame Maxime, and Professor McGonagall lined up before them with Mr. McLaggen.

"Come now, don't look so gloomy, everyone! There's nothing too terrible we're about to tell you," Mr. McLaggen said. "We've only pulled you away from dinner to let you know that we've officially set the date of the third task, and we want to give you a brief explanation. Though," he added, with a hearty chuckle, "we can't tell them _too_ much, can we?" He elbowed Professor Bishop good-naturedly, and Professor Bishop tried to return his smile, only succeeding with a rather pained grimace.

Professor McGonagall, looking impatient, stepped forward. "The task will take place on Sunday, the twenty-first of June, just before sunset."

"And what weel ze task be?" asked Melanie, looking up to Madame Maxime.

"Well, as I've said," interrupted Mr. McLaggen, "we can't tell you too much. However, this task will require a certain amount of preparation, in terms of being ready to take on a difficult, physical challenge. It may serve you well to consider working together, as well. This will not be an easy task to complete on your own."

Lily's stomach clenched. Hugo and Alice had been right—to an extent. Instead of heightening the competition between the champions, though, now she had to learn to work with the others. Judging from what she could see of Amanda and Melanie from the corner of her eye, they were experiencing the same anxiety.

"The task will take place on the Quidditch pitch, once again," said Professor McGonagall, and when Lily met her eyes for a brief moment, she saw a flicker of something staring back at her—was it fear?

"We can't tell you how to try and succeed in the task, ladies," said Professor Bishop. "But we're going to leave you now and go back to the hall. If you want to follow us and go back to your classmates, that's fine, or you can stay here and discuss your options."

"Things 'ave been somewhat complicated between you, no?" Madame Maxime asked, arching an eyebrow and meeting all three of them with an imperious gaze.

For the first time, Lily glanced at Amanda and Melanie, both of whom were staring at their tabletops. There were several beats of silence.

"Mr. McLaggen, you are more than welcome to stay for dinner," said Professor McGonagall briskly. She opened the door of the classroom, allowing Madame Maxime to stoop and exit, followed by Professor Bishop.

"No, no, Professor, thanks," said Mr. McLaggen, holding the door for her. "I've got to get back to the Ministry—"

The door snapped shut, and Lily released a breath she hadn't realized she was holding. She looked over at the others, ready to speak, but was surprised to see that Amanda was halfway to the door already.

"Hey," Lily said, leaping up. "Where are you going?"

"Dinner," said Amanda, folding her arms and glaring at Lily. "I don't have anything I need to talk about with you. Or you," she added rather venomously, turning her glare on Melanie.

"Oh, please," Melanie said, examining her fingernails. "Zat was months ago, eet 'ardly matters any longer."

Lily stared back and forth between them. "What? What hardly matters? What was months ago?"

"None of your business," Amanda snapped, and Lily jumped at her tone.

"Don't you remember?" asked Melanie in a rather disparaging tone. Lily stared at her, confused, and Melanie gave an exasperated sigh. "I told you zat I knew you 'ad not cheated in ze task, and you wanted to know why I 'ad already said you did?"

Lily closed her eyes, feeling stupid and trying desperately to control the anger she felt bubbling up inside her.

"And what a fantastic plan that was," Amanda spat at Melanie. "Get me to trick her into thinking neither of us knows, then tell the teachers—"

"_You_ did not know," Melanie answered calmly, twirling a finger in her long brown ponytail. "I only agreed to 'elp you. I was not about to seemply tell you ze clue and 'ope zat you would not use it against me."

"Oh, fantastic, so you lied about that and _then_ sold me out to _her_ after we'd agreed to keep the same story," Amanda said loudly.

"I did not 'sell you out,' Amanda," Melanie said calmly. "I seemply did not see ze sense in pursuing ze matter of trying to change our ranks when Professor McGonagall defended Lily—"

"It was your stupid idea to tell the teachers in the first place!" Amanda shouted.

"SHUT UP!" Lily roared, and the other two looked around, momentarily too startled to keep looking angry. Lily rounded on Melanie. "You—you planned out that stunt in the forest? You _arranged_ for me to chase Amanda, and you set that darkness charm?"

"And eef I did?" Melanie asked, arching an eyebrow. Lily folded her arms, scowling, and Melanie waved one hand. "I promised Amanda second place eef she 'elped me deestract you. Your classmate—Eerazmus, oui?—'e told me at ze Yule Ball 'ow you are not as good wiz magic as uzzers een your class." She narrowed her eyes, and Lily felt her stomach clench unpleasantly. "'E was not entirely correct een this idea, I am thinking."

"She'd already figured out that the Snitch had a map, but she didn't know how to use it," Amanda said spitefully. "She told me we could take you on once we were all in the forest, but we needed to distract you first. She wouldn't tell me the clue, though. And as a matter of fact, _I_ set up the charm." Melanie rolled her eyes, as if this were hardly a worrisome point.

"And you got caught in eet, as well, _zat_ really 'elped," she said scathingly, and Amanda drew her wand.

Lily gaped at them. "She wouldn't…_that's_ what you're worried about? Never mind you've both just cheated your way through a third of the tournament—"

"Oh, please, Lily, everyone cheats," Amanda snapped.

"_I didn't!_" Lily yelled.

"Why are you all shouting?" Melanie said, looking annoyed. "Lily, Amanda ees right—everyone cheats een zees tournament. Eet ees so common zat I refuse to believe zat you 'ave 'ad absolutely no outside 'elp."

"Yeah, what about the first task?" asked Amanda. "You can't play Quidditch! Who taught you to fly?" Lily's cheeks burned, but she didn't look away. "That's what I thought," Amanda said, narrowing her eyes.

"Precisely," Melanie said, folding her hands neatly on the desktop and nodding towards Amanda. "Now, our—collaboration, I believe eez ze word—eez not un'eard of."

"Besides, it backfired, remember?" Amanda told Lily. "You've got first place."

Silence fell, and Lily glared angrily between the two of them for several minutes. Melanie looked unconcerned, but Amanda was jittery and very white-faced with anger.

"So if that's all, then I'm going to dinner," she said finally, pushing past Lily and wrenching the door open.

Lily drew her wand so fast she could have Disarmed one of her brothers. The door slammed loudly shut and Amanda jumped back, clutching her hand as if burned.

"What was that for?" she demanded.

"We need to do this task together," Lily said in a low voice, and there was another stunned silence.

"I beg your pardon?" asked Melanie.

"You heard them—we're not going to be able to do this last one on our own," said Lily.

Amanda gave a snort of derision. "All that means is your guy McLaggen thinks he's smarter than us," she said, and Lily shot her a quelling look.

"I don't like it any more than you do," said Lily. She gave Melanie a mistrustful glance, but knew what she had to say. "But it's the _only_ way we'll be able to do the task. We have to put all this aside—"

"I am eenterested only in taking zat Cup 'ome to Beauxbatons," Melanie said. "I believe I am more zan capable of doing zat on my own; I agree wiz Amanda in zis case, Meester McLaggen ees only attempting to frighten us."

"And I am _not_ putting the fate of my tournament spot in _her _hands again," Amanda said. She glanced at Lily. "Or yours, actually. I've heard tons of rumors from the Ravenclaws—you only take subjects that are Squib magic, right, Lily?"

Lily felt as though she'd been punched in the stomach. Then she drew herself up. She was still much shorter than Amanda. "And who used 'Squib magic' to take first place away from the two of you, even when you had to cheat to figure out how to beat me? Who was that, Amanda?"

Amanda scowled. "I'm most definitely not working with either of you," she said at last. And with that, she turned on her heel and left the classroom, banging the door shut behind her.

"_Au revoir_, Lily," Melanie said, at last getting to her feet and heading for the door. "I shall see you in two weeks." The door swung shut behind her, and Lily was left standing in the middle of the classroom, staring after them in distress.

But through the shock and anger, Lily felt a growing sense of dread; she could not shake the feeling that she would need the other two, if she had any hope of making it through the third task, and that if she did not win them over…there would be real danger ahead.

* * *

><p>Hey people :) Question: do you want me to switch to daily updates? There are 25 chapters, so we'll have 4 more days of updates. Otherwise, we can have 8 if I stick with the alternating days. I originally thought that for the purposes of allowing everyone time to read (okay, okay, *and* review, I'll admit it) it might be easier to alternate, but now I'm not positive. Does it slow down the story too much, or are you busy enough in your own lives the the current pace is just right and you won't be deterred from reading if you get behind? I move through everything at about a million miles a minute, so I have no scope on that point. Let me know!<p> 


	21. The Letter

Chapter Twenty-One

The Letter

Lily spent the next two weeks in a frenzy of stress and anxiety, which her newfound freedom from classes could only slightly counteract. One day, not long after her argument with the other two champions, Lily found herself sitting with Lorcan, Alice, and Hugo out on the lawn.

Hugo was reveling in popping into his Animagus form to soar high above the lake; watching him fly was something truly amazing, Lily had to admit, and Alice was sitting a few feet away, laughing as Hugo brushed past her, tickling her cheek with his huge wings.

Lorcan and Lily sat under the tree together. Lily had just finished telling him the story of Amanda and Melanie's deception.

"So they just flat-out refused to work together," she said. "I don't know, I just…"

"I know," Lorcan said. "It seems like a bad idea to disregard the warning."

Lily nodded, hunching over and putting her chin on her knees. "Exactly," she sighed. "But I don't know what to do. Neither of them will talk to me."

"And the task…"

"—Is tomorrow, yeah," Lily said. "I would really, really like to do well—but whatever this is, it's probably going to be dangerous. I mean—" she sat up again, facing Lorcan. "McLaggen didn't say we _shouldn't_ try and do it on our own, he said he thought we couldn't. That sets off a lot of warnings, for me."

Lorcan nodded. "And no one's been able to give you any hint as to what it might be?" he asked.

Lily shook her head. "Either no one knows, or they've been good at keeping it a secret. Hagrid's been a little nervous around me, whenever the task comes up, but I mean…look what happened last time someone in my family participated in the third task of the tournament. A lot of the teachers who were here are having bad memories, I bet."

Lorcan winced slightly. "I see what you mean." He took a breath, shaking his head slightly. "Let's just—let's put it out of our minds for now," he said. "Let's not think about it. Tell me—tell me about writing to Mr. Ollivander, or something. What are Roxy and Henry up to? How are your parents?" he laughed.

Lily laughed too. She had finally shared her news about writing to Mr. Ollivander, to great support from Alice, Hugo, and Lorcan. She did not really think it the best idea to pretend that the task was less than twenty-four hours away, but, then again, Lorcan was only trying to make her feel better.

"I haven't heard back from Mr. Ollivander," she admitted, "Roxy and Henry are arguing all the time, but clearly having a thrilling time of it anyway, and my parents will be up here with my aunt and uncle for tomorrow night."

"What about James and Albus?" Lorcan asked in surprise.

"They'll be here, if they remember," Lily said, smiling. She sighed again, and silence fell between them. Lily watched as Hugo landed next to Alice and popped into his human form, then yanked up a fistful of grass and showered it over her. Alice shrieked and leapt up, chasing after Hugo, but he leapt into the air and became the falcon once again.

"Are you frightened?" Lorcan asked, and Lily felt a sudden chill run down her spine that she couldn't quite hide from him. Gently, Lorcan reached out and put a hand on her back, and Lily shivered again; this time it had nothing to do with the looming task. She looked sideways at Lorcan for several minutes in silence.

Lorcan seemed to know her answer. He patted her back, and Lily automatically moved closer to him, putting her back against the tree. He seemed surprised for a moment, but to Lily's pleasure, Lorcan put his arm around her shoulders.

"Don't be afraid, Lily," he said, squeezing her shoulder. "You'll get through it okay. You've done some mad things this year. As soon as tomorrow's done…well, we can get on to summer, right? I believe you can do it."

Lily looked up. "You do?" she asked, a little surprised.

Lorcan stared at her, his mouth slightly open. "Yeah," he said softly.

Lily gave a little laugh, and threw her arms around Lorcan, hugging him tight. He returned the hug as Alice, who was covered in grass, and Hugo came running up, panting.

"Hey, lovebirds," Alice said, doubling over and grinning at them. Lily blushed. "Come on, let's go get lunch."

Lily looked back at Lorcan, who shrugged. They got to their feet and followed Alice and Hugo up to the castle, their hands linked.

* * *

><p>The next day, Lily rose earlier than the other girls, who were clearly sleeping in. The good mood that had buoyed her through the previous afternoon and evening (most of which she had spent with Lorcan) seemed to have disappeared with the nightfall, and was replaced by a feeling of growing dread.<p>

Silently, Lily put on a set of robes. She removed the Gryffindor patch with a Severing Charm and attached a standard Hogwarts crest to the lapel of the robes; she was representing her school today, not just Gryffindor. Just for luck, however, she slipped her Gryffindor patch in her pocket. Then she placed her wand safely in her pocket as well, closing the fingers of her left hand around it, just to feel the warm comfort of its handle.

She then went down to the common room. It was too early to hope that there might be breakfast on the table in Great Hall; instead, Lily climbed into an armchair and curled into a tight ball, staring blankly into the patterned carpet as if hoping that some divine vision would show her how to get Melanie and Amanda on her side.

None came.

After nearly two hours in this position, Lily was startled from her reverie by a fully-dressed Alice, who was yawning and stretching.

"You okay?" she asked, running a hand through her rumpled blonde hair. Lily nodded, returning her gaze to the carpet. "Want breakfast?" Lily nodded again, and began to uncurl herself from her cramped ball, slowly shaking feeling back into her limbs as Alice dashed upstairs.

When she returned, Molly, Jocasta, and Roxanne were following her. Immediately, they crowded around Lily and began their walk down to the Great Hall.

"You'll be brilliant, Lily," Molly said, clutching Lily's arm as they went, and Lily smiled slightly.

"Of course she will," Roxy said loudly, practically hopping with excitement.

"Wish we knew what the bloody task was, though," Jocasta said ruefully.

Alice gave her a warning glare. "It won't matter," she said brightly. "Lily's going to do brilliantly, no matter what."

The other girls laughed, and Lily couldn't help but smile as they all trotted down the steps of the entrance hall. Lily spared a brief glance for the flags above the doors, but was quickly distracted by the sound of a cluster of people entering the hall. Lily caught sight of Amanda, who was watching her as she too was shepherded along by a group of friends, and tried to give her a smile. Amanda did not return it, instead turning back to her girlfriends.

Lily sighed, but Jocasta caught her by the arm and dragged her in the Great Hall with the other Gryffindor girls. Alice led them over to the Gryffindor table, where the boys, who appeared to be coming back inside from an early-morning two-a-side Quidditch game, presently joined them.

"Hello, ladies," Henry said smoothly, sliding onto the bench beside Roxy, who rolled her eyes and laughed. Michael, Andrew, and Hugo sat down around them, immediately piling food on their plates.

"Feeling good, Lil?" Hugo asked, as Alice placed two rolls on Lily's plate, along with a mountain of scrambled eggs. Lily gave Hugo a weak smile.

"Nearly," she said, and Hugo smiled. The others started chattering away, and Lily pushed her food about her plate with her fork. She looked up only when the post owls arrived, and Calliope nearly upset Lily's goblet, landing on the table before her.

"Well, there you are," Lily said, smiling and stroking Calliope's soft, feathery little head. "What've you got for me there, sweetheart?" Calliope hooted happily and held out her leg, where an envelope was curled up and securely tied. Lily leaned forward and untied the letter, and Calliope hopped forward, hooting again as she fluttered to Lily's shoulder. Lily gave her a quick kiss and offered her a bit of toast. Calliope munched it gladly, then ruffled her feathers against Lily's ear before taking off again and soaring out the upper windows. Lily, now smiling, turned back to her letter.

"What is it?" Hugo asked.

Lily didn't answer, her eyes transfixed by the brilliantly green wax seal on the back of the envelope. It was a large letter O, crossed with what seemed to be two wands.

Alice gasped. "It—It's from—"

"Mr. Ollivander," Lily said softly, terrified.

"What?" Molly asked.

"Are you serious?" Hugo demanded.

"Why is Ollivander writing to you?" asked Roxy.

"Lily, are you sure?" Alice squeaked.

"Would somebody please explain what's happening?" asked Jocasta loudly.

Henry raised his goblet. "Hear, hear!" he said, and Alice rolled her eyes.

"Lily's trying to get a job at Ollivander's," she said impatiently.

"You didn't tell me that!" Roxanne said indignantly, and Lily opened her mouth to apologize, but Alice seized Lily's arm.

"Open it, Lily, quickly!"

Lily looked at the envelope in her trembling hands. _Miss Lily Potter, The Great Hall, Hogwarts School_. "I—I can't," she said.

"Now!" Alice told her.

"No—here—Roxy, you do it," Lily said, thrusting the letter into Roxanne's hands.

"Are you sure?" she asked, and Lily nodded, burying her face in her hands. Roxy looked nervously at the others and slit the envelope open and removed the letter. Before she opened it, she looked up again. "Lily, just remember, you can always work in the joke shop with me—or—I dunno—anything you want," Roxy said, and Lily waved her hand, indicating that she should just read the letter.

"'Dear Miss Potter,'" Roxy began, and then Lily heard Alice say, "Not out loud!"

She took several deep breaths, her face still buried in her hands. After several minutes of silence, however, Lily lifted her gaze to Roxy, who was frowning at the letter.

"What?" Lily asked, feeling the bottom of her stomach fall away.

Roxanne shrugged, still looking rather grim, and folded the letter.

"What did it say?" Lily demanded.

"Like I said," Roxy said a little uncomfortably. "You can always work in the joke shop—"

Lily's heart crashed to the floor, and she almost missed what Roxanne said next.

"—Although I don't think Dad pays as high as an apprenticeship in Ollivander's wand shop!" she said excitedly, and Lily's mouth fell open.

"What?" she asked hoarsely.

"You got it, Lily," said Molly, looking fit to burst. "You got the job. He wants an interview to be sure, but as soon as your grades come in, you can start."

Lily shook her head, trying process what had just happened. She felt Alice put her arm around her, and was dimly aware of her waving over Lorcan from the Ravenclaw table, but she was still gaping at Roxy, who was attempting to return Lily's letter.

"What's going on?" Lorcan asked, hurrying over. "Is everything all right?"

"Lily got the job at Ollivander's!" Alice said excitedly, taking the letter from Roxanne and showing Lorcan.

He grinned, skimming the letter. "Lily, that's fantastic!" he said, sitting down beside her. She looked at him, smiling and feeling somewhere between laughter and tears.

"Yeah," she said. "I—I can't believe it—"

"You've got to go tell Professor Vector," Lorcan told her. "And Professor McGonagall. They'll be so excited! Ollivander probably doesn't take people on unless he's really sure."

Suddenly, Lily laughed out loud and threw her arms around Lorcan's neck, much to his surprise. Henry, Roxy, Molly, Alice, and Hugo all laughed as well, as Lily, embarrassed, released him. Lorcan folded up the letter and put it in the envelope, which he set before Lily, and they avoided eye contact, to the snickers of the other Gryffindors.

"_Finally_, taking Arithmancy served a purpose," Alice said loftily, pretending that she hadn't noticed this.

"Shut up, Alice," Lily told her good-naturedly, shoving her shoulder.

"Attention, please," called Professor McGonagall's voice from the head table, and a hush fell over the Great Hall as heads turned in her direction. "The third task of the Triwizard tournament will begin tonight at five o'clock sharp on the Quidditch pitch." There were several loud whoops and whistles, and even Lily found herself grinning.

"Champions, please arrive in the tent half an hour early; the stands will be open for seating shortly thereafter." Professor McGonagall's eyes swept the hall, trying to locate Lily, Amanda, and Melanie. "Additionally, in exactly half an hour, your professors and I will require the champions to be in the entrance hall. Please finish your meals promptly and meet us at the castle doors."

Lily's heart leapt. _Mum_, she thought. _Daddy…James…Al…_she hadn't seen any of them in months—and what news she had for them! Quickly, she stuffed her letter from Mr. Ollivander in her pocket. Now much too excited to eat, Lily spent the next half-hour nearly counting the seconds until—

"Miss Potter, are you ready?" Professor McGonagall stood over her, looking rather amused at what must have been a hilariously giddy expression on Lily's face.

Lily practically leapt to her feet and nodded. She waved to Hugo and Alice and the others, following Professor McGonagall, who appeared to be limping slightly more than usual—well, it was the twenty-first of June, Lily remembered—Dad was always a little down on this day as well. She made a mental note to go with him to the white tomb next to the lake, just the two of them, after the task.

Lily took a few quick steps so that she was right beside Professor McGonagall. "Professor," she said, and the headmistress looked at her, stopping at the door to the Great Hall.

"Yes, Miss Potter?" she asked, and Lily could hear in her voice that she was trying not to be short with her.

Lily reached into her pocket and produced the letter from Mr. Ollivander. "I—er—I took your advice," she said, holding out the envelope.

"My advice?" asked Professor McGonagall, pulling out and shaking open the letter. She peered at the parchment through her spectacles, but before she could finish reading, they were interrupted.

"Professor!"

"Pardon me, Miss Potter," Professor McGonagall said apologetically and returning the letter, before walking over to Madame Maxime, who introduced her to Melanie's parents.

Lily bit her lip briefly, but decided to let it pass. She would be able to tell everyone later, she decided. The castle doors were standing open, and Lily looked through them into the sunlit grounds. She saw no sign of her parents, brothers, or Uncle Ron and Aunt Hermione.

"Mom!"

Lily looked around, and saw Amanda come tearing out of the Great Hall, heading straight for the open arm of a pretty, gray-haired woman who was unmistakably her mother. Mrs. Morgan's other hand leaned heavily on a walking stick, and as Lily watched Amanda embrace her mother, she caught a glimpse of a rather heavy-looking metal brace on Mrs. Morgan's right leg. Lily frowned, curious, but was immediately distracted by someone clamping their hands over her eyes.

"James—Sirius—Potter—" she said, reaching back to swat any part of her brother she could reach. "Let me go!" And suddenly, Lily could see again, and Albus was squeezing her tightly, practically lifting her off the ground. "Albus!" she shrieked, hugging him back. She could just see her mother and father over Al's shoulder, hurrying up the front steps with Aunt Hermione and Uncle Ron.

When Albus had finally released her, Lily pulled back from her brothers, laughing breathlessly. "I—am _so_ glad to see you two," she said.

"Spiffed out of our minds, we are," James said, throwing one arm around Al's neck and mussing his hair. Lily laughed.

"If I didn't know for a fact which of you came first, I'd swear Lily was the oldest," said Dad as he, Mum, Uncle Ron, and Aunt Hermione arrived.

"Daddy!" Lily said excitedly, hurrying into his open arms and hugging him tightly. Dad laughed.

"Hi, Pixie-girl," he said, kissing her head.

"Hi, baby," said Mum, taking Lily into a tight embrace. "My goodness, look at you!" she said, holding Lily at arm's distance and smiling. "Hermione said—" she stopped, looking slightly embarrassed, but Lily just shrugged and pulled her outer robe back, so that her much-too-loose uniform (now held in place by pins) was clearly visible.

Mum just smiled, pulling Lily in for another hug, and pressed a kiss into her hair.

"Yeah, well, nice to see you too, Lily," said Uncle Ron in a long-suffering voice, and Aunt Hermione rolled her eyes.

"Uncle Ron!" Lily said in a dramatic voice.

"Lily Luna!" he cried, imitating her, and they fell into a lavish, silly hug.

"You two are so strange," said James wonderingly. He still had Albus in a headlock.

Lily giggled and embraced Aunt Hermione. "We sent Rose a birthday letter last night," she said.

"Thank you, sweetheart," said Aunt Hermione, smiling. "She'll like that. But do you happen to know where my son might be?"

"Great Hall," Lily said, jerking her head in that direction.

"Kid thinks he can become an Animagus and leave it to Minerva to tell us," said Uncle Ron, shaking his head. "Honestly, I ask you…" and he and Aunt Hermione went together into the Great Hall.

"Oh yeah!" James said. He rounded on Lily. "How come no one told us Hugo's an Animagus?" he demanded. "What's his form?"

"He's a peregrine falcon," Lily said, laughing. "With silver wings. And I don't know, it's not my business that boys don't share everything. Girls are so much better at that sort of thing," she said casually, examining her fingernails.

"Yeah, but if we were girls, who would we use for an arm rest? We'd be your height," James said, immediately placing his arm on Lily's shoulder, which was just the right height for him to lean on. Albus copied him, and Lily glared up at them both.

"Come here, Pix," Mum said reassuringly, holding out her arms for Lily, who hurried over to her, putting an arm around her waist. "Older brothers tend to be gits," she said, winking at her sons.

"Best shape up, Jamesy-boy," Albus said seriously, pulling himself straight. "Mum's got the Bat Bogey Eye on us."

"Right you are, Albus," James agreed, standing at attention.

Lily snorted, and Ginny shook her head. Lily looked over to her father, whose attention was turned away, looking up at the banners and flags hanging over the castle doors with an unreadable expression on his face. Glancing at her mother, Lily went over to Dad and put an arm around him. He didn't look down, but he squeezed Lily's shoulders, still staring at the flags.

"I've never seen it before," said a soft voice nearby. "It's a beautiful tribute."

Dad, Mum, Albus, Lily, and James all looked around. Amanda Morgan and her mother were standing a few feet away. Mrs. Morgan drew herself up slightly and released Amanda to raise the arm that was not holding her walking stick.

"Cho?" asked Dad, looking shocked.

"Cho Chang," Mum gasped, her mouth falling open. She stepped forward to embrace her.

"Morgan, actually, for the last twenty years or so," said Mrs. Morgan, looking a little tearful as she released Mum and turned to Dad and hugged him. Now that Lily listened, her American accent was nowhere near as pronounced as Amanda's. "But yes. It's wonderful to see you both."

Lily was staring in shock and disbelief between her brothers (who looked utterly dumbfounded), Amanda, who was avoiding her gaze, and her parents, who were now laughing with Mrs. Morgan as an old friend.

"Harry—my goodness," Mum said, looking utterly shocked, but smiling broadly. "Al—Lily, James, come here—this is Mrs. Morgan—she went to school with us. Cho, these are Albus and James, our sons—"

"Nice to meet you," James said, sounding as though he had recently taken a blow to the head.

"Pleasure," said Albus. Lily frowned at them both; why did they sound like utter morons?

"It's wonderful to meet you both," said Mrs. Morgan, switching her cane to her left hand and shaking hands with Albus and James.

"And this is Lily," Harry said. "Our daughter."

"Of course," said Mrs. Morgan warmly, shaking Lily's hand as well. "Amanda's told me all about you. Harry, Ginny, this is _my_ daughter, Amanda. Amanda, these are the Potters," she said. Amanda gave a rather half-hearted smile and shook hands with Mum, Dad, James and Albus.

"You're the Salem Institute champion?" Dad asked kindly.

"Yes, sir," Amanda said, not meeting Lily's eyes.

"How have you been?" Mum asked Mrs. Morgan, nodding to her walking stick. "Your leg, your husband—Eric, isn't it?"

"Yes," said Mrs. Morgan, smiling. "Eric's just fine, he's staying in London—Amanda and I are going to go and meet him tomorrow. My leg's all right, bit of pain here and there, but in pretty good shape, overall."

"What have you been doing?" Dad asked.

"I'm in Magical Law Enforcement for the North American Continent," said Mrs. Morgan. "Mostly desk work, but I like it."

"That's great—"

Lily did not hear much of the rest of the conversation; James and Albus, who, for the course of the entire exchange, were uncharacteristically struck silent, distracted her.

"What are you two gaping at?" Lily hissed, stepping closer. James and Al looked at her, startled, as if they'd only just noticed her.

"D'you know who that is?" James whispered back. Lily glanced at Mrs. Morgan and caught sight of Amanda, who was glowering rather unpleasantly at her. She shook her head.

"Cho Chang," Albus told her. Lily stared at him. "How d'you not know this?"

"She might've been off with Hugo," James said. "When we got it out of Uncle George…"

"Nah, Hugo was with us—Alice, probably," Al told him.

"Who is she?" Lily demanded, glancing back at their distracted parents.

"Cho Chang was Dad's only girlfriend he ever had except for Mum," James told her.

Lily snorted. "You're hilarious," she said. "Really. Mum and Dad were _made_ for each other, why would he—"

"Yeah, _we_ know they were made for each other," said Albus. "But _they_ didn't always know it. Lily Luna Potter, you are looking at your almost-mother."

Lily shuddered. "Don't say that! First of all, I highly doubt that was the case, and second of all, that is definitely _not_ how that works."

James shrugged. "Just saying," he told her.

"You're an idiot," Lily assured him, and James rested his elbow on her head, feigning great interest in his parents' conversation.

"It was so nice to see you all," Mrs. Morgan was saying. "Amanda and I are going to take a little walk around the grounds. I expect we can catch up at dinner, after the girls go to the pitch?"

"Of course," Mum said. Cho smiled and nodded, gave Dad's arm a squeeze, and turned back to Amanda. They left the entrance hall through the castle doors.

James, Lily, and Albus watched as their parents turned slowly back to face them, forming a little circle. Mum and Dad didn't even register the presence of their audience.

"That was weird," Dad said after a moment.

"I haven't heard from her in…twenty-five years," said Mum incredulously.

"Not that you would've kept up, eh?" James joked, but Lily elbowed him in the ribs; Mum, however, seemed not to have heard him.

"I wasn't expecting…" said Dad, trailing off and looking at Mum.

"Well, she nearly lost that leg," Mum answered. "And it's been, what, thirty years since? "

"How?" Albus asked, and Mum and Dad were startled to see that their children were still watching.

"What, Al?" Mum asked.

"How did she almost lose her leg?" asked Lily.

Mum drew a breath and put an arm around her. "She defended the castle with us, and was pretty badly injured," she said.

"Wow," James said softly, looking impressed.

"And don't think I missed the three of you, huddled back here," Dad said suddenly. "Got it out of George, hm? I'll be having a word with him." James and Albus snickered, and Mum rolled her eyes.

"What's going on?" Uncle Ron asked as he walked up with Hugo, who was blushing pink to the very roots of his bright red hair, and Aunt Hermione, who was positively beaming.

"Hermione, did you know whose daughter the Salem champion is?" Harry asked. Aunt Hermione's smile faded slightly, looking between Mum and Dad.

"No," she said slowly. "Whose?"

"Cho Chang," said Mum.

"What?" Uncle Ron snorted, as Aunt Hermione said, "No!"

"She's here—out on the grounds, now," Harry said.

Aunt Hermione put a hand to her forehead, looking shocked. "And here I was worrying about the date we set the task…should've been finding out _who_ was participating…" she trailed off, looking towards the open castle doors. "Can you imagine how she must be feeling right now?"

"I've got an idea," said Dad in a low voice, and Lily's stomach clenched unpleasantly as an uncomfortable silence fell over them all. Then Dad shook his head and hitched up a brilliant smile. "Sorry, that was dark." He reached out for Lily, who put her arms around him, and smiled at her. Lily hugged him tightly, trying to put into it all the reassurance she could muster.

"Secret Animagus studies, you git?" James asked suddenly, rounding on Hugo, who laughed and hugged him. James thumped him soundly on the back.

"Why didn't you tell us?" Albus demanded.

"Apparently, only Lily and Alice Longbottom were in the know," Aunt Hermione said, arching an eyebrow at Lily, who grinned.

"I didn't think I was going to do it," Hugo insisted. "Besides, Minerva told you right away!" Aunt Hermione laughed and kissed Hugo's cheek, making him blush even brighter pink.

"I want to see this for myself," said Uncle Ron. He nodded towards the castle doors. "Come on, Hugo, let us see."

"I'm not really supposed to do it on the grounds," Hugo said quickly.

"Didn't stop you yesterday afternoon," said Lily pleasantly, and Hugo glared at her. She shrugged. "Sorry, you said it was only a secret till you got registered. Time to show off."

Hugo rolled his eyes and sighed heavily before allowing himself to be dragged out onto the lawn.

The family spent the next several hours with Hagrid, who made tea and rock cakes as they all watched Hugo's Animagus form soar overhead. It was so peaceful, so happy, that Lily was rather startled when Aunt Hermione said it was time for the two of them to head to the Quidditch pitch.

"Righ'," Hagrid said, getting up. "Yeh wan' a stoat sandwich ter go, Hermione? Lily?"

"No thanks, Hagrid," Lily said, feeling her stomach turn over.

Aunt Hermione shook her head, giving him a hug. "I'm all right, thanks, Hagrid. I'll see the rest of you later," she said. "There's an area in the stands for the families." She leaned over and kissed Uncle Ron, then patted Dad's shoulders. His expression was looking a little clouded again. Lily got up and hugged him.

"I'll see you right after, Dad," she promised, and he smiled somewhat, then embraced her tightly. "See you soon, Mummy," Lily said, hugging her mother. She gave Al, Hugo, and James one hug where they sat at Hagrid's table. "Bye, boys."

"Give 'em hell, Pixie," Albus said, smiling at her.

"Yeah, go get that Triwizard Cup, I want it for the mantel," James told her, and Lily rolled her eyes as she released Hugo and moved to Uncle Ron.

"Bye, Hagrid," she said finally, joining Aunt Hermione at the door. Hagrid gave her a bone-cracking hug.

"Be careful, now, won' yeh?" he asked, and Lily nodded. Hagrid patted her shoulder gently.

"Come on, Lily, we'll be late," said Aunt Hermione.

"See you later," Lily said for what felt like the thousandth time, so desperate was she to reassure her rather anxious-looking family. She received several brilliant smiles and frenetic waves before hurrying down the steps after Aunt Hermione.

"They'll be all right," Aunt Hermione promised as they walked up the lawn. Lily nodded.

"I'm just worrying," she said. "This task is…well, I'll be glad when it's over."

They had arrived at the Quidditch pitch. Crossing quickly through the locker rooms, they walked together out onto the playing field. The familiar champions tent was set up a few feet away; down at the far end, Lily could see an enormous golden structure that looked almost like a cage, though it glittered so brightly in the sun that Lily could not see anything inside it.

"Aunt Hermione," Lily said slowly, feeling suddenly rather sick. "What_ is _the task?"

"Come on, sweetheart," Aunt Hermione said, looking uncomfortable. "Let's go." And she strode over to the tent, holding it open for Lily.

* * *

><p>I KNOW! I'M EVIL. But I still love you...:) REALLY!<p> 


	22. The Third Task

SURPRISE!

* * *

><p>Chapter Twenty-Two<p>

The Third Task

When Lily entered the tent, Amanda and Melanie were already there. They were alone, but for Mr. McLaggen. Lily tried to catch Amanda's eye, but she stared pointedly away, while Melanie looked utterly unconcerned as she twirled her wand between her fingers.

Lily slipped her hand into her own pocket for her wand, and her fingers brushed two things; first, her Gryffindor patch, which seemed to warm her fingertips slightly; second, the letter from Mr. Ollivander. She had never told her mother and father about it…she'd forgotten.

_There'll be time after the task_, she told herself firmly.

The tent flap opened suddenly, and Madame Maxime entered, followed by Professor Bishop and Professor McGonagall, who, Lily noticed, was looking much less composed from her normal, neat self. Aunt Hermione hurried over to her, and Lily watched as they had a hushed, but serious conversation.

Professor McGonagall, who looked uncharacteristically dour, was nodding as Aunt Hermione looked worried, her hand on Professor McGonagall's arm. Lily considered going over to join them, but Mr. McLaggen interrupted.

"Champions, over here, please," he called, and Lily, Amanda, and Melanie stood and gathered around him. Professor Bishop and Madame Maxime joined their students, and Lily felt Professor McGonagall join her, laying a hand on her shoulder tightly.

"Well, ladies, here we are," said Mr. McLaggen as Aunt Hermione joined him. "You've all worked wonderfully well this year, and as far as we're concerned, every one of you has earned the Triwizard Cup tonight."

Amanda beat her fist against her leg, chewing her lower lip, and Melanie looked as though she were having difficulty restraining herself from rolling her eyes.

"Your task tonight is a dangerous one," Mr. McLaggen said, folding his hands. "But it is not unbeatable. You will be able to succeed." He looked between them all, pausing for dramatic effect. "Tonight, ladies, you will be asked to capture a graphorn."

There was an instant, simultaneous reaction.

"Excuse me?" Amanda said loudly.

"_I beg your pardon?_" asked Melanie in a shrill voice.

"A graphorn," Lily repeated hoarsely. Aunt Hermione was looking very worried, and Lily felt Professor McGonagall's hand tighten on her shoulder.

"Yes," Mr. McLaggen said. "Each of you will receive a score based upon how well you perform in your attempts to secure the graphorn in its cage again without rendering it unconscious or harming it. This is why we recommend you try to work together; there is a better chance of your spells working in the way you want them to if you work in synchronicity, instead of simply casting at random. This is a young graphorn, not yet mature, and so his armor is not yet fully grown in. Stunning spells will not help much, but other jinxes may work." Amanda and Melanie were both gaping at him. "Well, we did try to warn you," he said rather defensively.

"You are not to harm the graphorn," Aunt Hermione interrupted firmly, and her eyes lingered for a moment on Melanie, who was clutching her wand tightly and looking steely. "Your only goal is to get it back in the cage we've constructed for it. Cruelty or undue injury to the animal will cost you most of the points."

"And what about injury to us?" Amanda asked incredulously.

"If you have taken our advice, Miss Morgan, then you will be able to find a way to protect yourselves and one another," said Professor McGonagall sharply.

Lily's stomach was filling with molten lead. In the distance, she could hear the sound of the stands filling. Immediately, she had a flash of what her parents were seeing, what they were doing. Perhaps they were sitting with Mrs. Morgan—who clearly had some kind of connection to the last tournament, like Dad—perhaps they saw the golden cage, maybe even the graphorn inside it, and were anxiously checking their watches, waiting for the tent flap to open.

"Unless you have further questions," Aunt Hermione said, "We must return to the stands. We'll call your names shortly." She nodded to Mr. McLaggen, who followed her to the tent flap.

Professor Bishop took Amanda by the shoulders and led her away to the first aid area, where they began to talk in low voices. Madame Maxime and Melanie did the same, so Lily turned and looked up at Professor McGonagall, who was looking very worried, and, Lily realized, tired.

"Are you all right, Professor?" Lily asked quietly. Professor McGonagall looked surprised. "I—I know it's a bad day," Lily said awkwardly. "But…it'll be okay. I mean…once the task is over."

Professor McGonagall shook her head. "I'm less worried about a bad day than the safety of my student," she said, pressing her thin mouth into a line. "Miss Potter, I say this only from years of knowing your family, and I mean it with a great deal of respect for them," she said. "_Please _don't do anything unnecessarily foolish."

She looked so anxious that Lily tried to smile. "I'll be careful, Professor."

Professor McGonagall nodded. "Very good, Miss Potter."

"Judges, please return to the table," boomed Mr. McLaggen's voice. "The task is ready to begin!" There was a loud cheer, and Professor McGonagall extended one hand to pat Lily's shoulder. Then she turned on her heel and swept from the tent, closely followed by Professor Bishop, and at last, Madame Maxime.

Lily turned to the other two champions, who were watching her with mingled fear, suspicion, and anxiety.

"We need to work together." Lily addressed Amanda now. "We can't do this alone."

Melanie stared between them. "Personally," she said, "I theenk I can 'andle zis on my own. Ze two of you can do whatever you like, but I weel be taking zat cup back t Beauxbatons." And she strode over to the first aid cot, sitting down smartly and looking away from Amanda and Lily.

Lily gaped. "You've got to be kidding," she said loudly to Melanie, who pretended not to hear her.

"Lily, come here," Amanda said scornfully. "We'll figure out what we have to do. Let her do it herself."

Lily paused for a moment, looking worriedly between both of them. "Are you being serious?" she asked Amanda, who sighed exasperatedly.

"Yes, Lily, I'm serious. I kind of don't feel like getting killed just because I can't play well with others," she said derisively. "But if I see my chance to take the win for myself, I'm taking it. Fair?"

"Fine," Lily said at last, still watching Melanie. She shook Amanda's hand reluctantly, hating that it had come down to deals and threats. "Fine, what have you got?"

"A Shield Charm?" Amanda suggested, and Lily nodded.

"A huge one, though," she said. "Protego Totalum. You think that will help?"

"If we cast it at the same time," Amanda told her with an air of someone explaining the very obvious, casting a sidelong glance over to Melanie, who was not paying attention. "It might at least slow the thing down."

"Will Incarcerous do any good, do you think?" asked Lily. She could hear Mr. McLaggen explaining the task to the audience, and shuddered to think how her parents were reacting.

Amanda shrugged. "We'll have to do it and find out."

"What's the darkness charm you cast in the forest? We might be able to confuse it with that," Lily said.

"Not bad," Amanda agreed. "Okay, I'll cast that one, it took ages to learn–"

Lily restrained herself from rolling her eyes. "Okay, so if Incarcerous fails, one of us will need to draw the graphorn back towards the cage. If we can—"

"—And now, ladies and gentlemen, the third task begins! Champions, take your places on the pitch!" called Mr. McLaggen. Lily and Amanda froze, looking at one another, panicked.

"Too late now," said Melanie coolly, getting up and striding to the opening of the tent.

Lily swallowed nervously and followed her out, to the cheers of the crowd in the stands. She looked over her shoulder at Amanda; Melanie was already sprinting away, watching the cage with a shrewd look.

"We need to separate," she shouted over the cheers and applause. "Amanda, take that side, all right? I'll stay on this end, right in front of it. Then—"

"When it gets close, I'll cast Incarcerous, I know!" Amanda shouted, and Lily bit back a retort. Amanda drew her wand, her face set, and jogged to her side of the pitch. Lily took a place near where the goal posts usually stood during Quidditch matches, directly opposite the graphorn's cage. Now that it was slightly darker, she could see an enormous, hulking mass in the golden bars. She swallowed dryly and glanced up into the stands; there was the judges' table, and—Mum, holding onto Dad and James, looking very pale.

Lily forced herself to look away. Melanie had taken up a spot some fifty feet away.

"Be careful, Melanie!" she called, and Melanie looked up, startled. "Don't—"

"Begin!" roared Mr. McLaggen, and with a clang, the cage door swung open. The graphorn may not have been fully mature, but it was enormous. Easily three times the size of a rhinoceros, covered in a thick hide of purplish-gray fur. Its face was almost doglike, and its tusks were long, sinister-looking weapons that could easily have torn down a solid brick wall, let alone a person.

It lumbered out of its cage on four heavy, gigantic feet. Lily looked at Amanda, who was watching her carefully to time her spell. Melanie had already taken off down the field—the graphorn hadn't yet noticed her. Lily swallowed. _Here goes nothing_, she thought, and she raised her wand to fire brilliant red sparks into the air, accompanied by a volley of loud bangs.

The graphorn, startled by the noise, roared, then turned on Lily, charging.

"ITS FEET!" Lily screamed. "BIND ITS FEET FIRST! INCARCEROUS!"

"INCARCEROUS!" Lily ran for Amanda's side of the pitch and watched as the graphorn stumbled over the ropes that appeared on its trunklike legs from both hers and Amanda's's wands.

"The graphorn is delayed by quick spellwork from Miss Morgan and Miss Potter," called Mr. McLaggen. "An excellent idea, but will the bindings hold? Miss Chevalier has taken position at the opposite end of the field, meanwhile, and seems to have a plan of her own!" The crowd screamed as the graphorn struggled free.

"We need to get back towards the cage!" Lily shouted over the crowd's screams. "It's angry, we need to capture it _quickly_," she insisted. She looked over her shoulder. The graphorn was getting up, turning around, trying to find them.

"The graphorn turns around for a second charge, now heading for Miss Chevalier!" shouted Mr. McLaggen, as the crowd yelled and screamed.

"Run!" Lily shouted, and took off down the pitch, Amanda at her heels. Lily felt the earth shake beneath her feet and spared a glance back; the graphorn was charging directly behind them as they ran for Melanie—then suddenly, she was falling, tumbling face-first onto the pitch—she'd tripped over her own loose robes, and tasted blood in her mouth.

Amanda seized her by the shoulders, dragging her up, and Lily started to run again.

"No! Look—Melanie!" Amanda screamed, and Lily was stunned by the fear in her face as they skidded to a halt, watching in horror as the graphorn charged for the little dark-haired figure at the end of the pitch. Amanda lifted her wand and an enormous jet of silvery-white light shot towards the graphorn. There was a sudden gasp of shock from the crowd, and Lily watched in amazement as the graphorn stumbled. From the outside, it looked as though the graphorn were simply falling in slow motion, but Lily quickly realized that whatever spell Amanda had just used was the exact same one that had trapped her in darkness during the second task.

Then she heard a chorus bone-chilling screams from the crowd.

Mr. McLaggen was still shouting. "Melanie Chevalier is on the ground—"

"Melanie," Amanda said again, but this time with terror in her voice. She and Lily both bolted at the exact same time for where Melanie was lying on the ground, apparently unconscious. The graphorn was still suspended in midair, but Lily had a feeling they didn't have long.

She and Amanda dropped to her knees beside Melanie, who was bleeding freshly from a very deep wound on her forehead; it seemed that the graphorn had kicked up a rock that was now lying a few feet away. "Melanie! Wake up! _Melanie!_" she shouted, and Melanie's eyes flew open.

"_Now_ d'you want our help?" Amanda snarled, and Melanie nodded dazedly. She didn't seem to be able to stand on her own, so Lily and Amanda hoisted her up.

"The Shield Charm, Lily! It'll be out in a minute!" Amanda cried, and Lily nodded, still supporting Melanie as she plunged a hand into her robes—

"My wand's gone!" she screamed.

"What?" Amanda shouted.

"My wand—it's—" With horror, Lily looked back to where she had fallen earlier. Sure enough, there laid her wand on the grass. "There—there!"

"It appears one of the champions has lost her wand!" called Mr. McLaggen. "She'll need to—" Lily forced herself to clamp down on her concentration, to stop listening to McLaggen's commentary.

"Accio!" Amanda shouted, but before Lily's wand could get even a foot off the ground, the charm holding the graphorn broke, and it crashed to earth directly on top of it, undoubtedly crushing it to pieces.

"NO!" Lily screamed, but Melanie, who seemed to be coming back to herself at last, forced Lily behind her back, defending them from approaching the graphorn, which was getting to its feet again, and looked very, very angry. Lily's heartbeat was pounding in her ears—it was going to charge, and they had to protect themselves from those horrible tusks—

"SHIELD CHARM, NOW! AMANDA, TAKE MY HAND—MELANIE—ON THREE!" Lily seized each of the others' hands, and they raised their wands—the graphorn began to run— "ONE—TWO—THREE!" Lily screamed, hoping wildly that this would work. "PROTEGO TOTALUM!"

With a deafening _bong_, the graphorn collided with the huge dome of the Shield Charm that sprang up around Lily, Melanie and Amanda. The crowd screamed as the graphorn flew back through the air, almost to midfield, and for a moment, Lily thought they would have time to regroup before it charged again, but—

"The Shield Charm is effective, but—I don't believe it!" cried Mr. McLaggen. "The graphorn is unharmed, and lands _on its feet_ in the middle of the pitch!"

"You need to get somewhere safe, where you can aim your wand at the cage!" Lily shouted to Amanda, trying to keep an eye on the graphorn. The Shield Charm seemed to have taken out what remained of Melanie's focus and strength, for she was clinging dazedly to Amanda's shoulder, trying hard to stay on her feet. Lily stepped back. "I'm going to lure it in, and then you're going to seal the door!"

"What?" Amanda shouted. "That's idiotic! Just run with us, _I'll_ figure something out to get it while you take care of her!"

Lily let out an anguished yell. "Don't argue! This isn't about the stupid cup! That thing's closest to the cage _right now_, and it's going to kill us if we don't do this, so just help me and I'll tell the judges it was all your idea, if it's so bloody important to you! It's going to charge any second, and you're the only one who can use her wand—"

There was a deafening roar, and the earth quaked again. Lily spared half a glance for the other two. "Just trust me, okay?"

And, hoping that Amanda would follow this half-baked, completely thoughtless plan that would keep them safe, Lily tore off in the direction of the open cage door. She stood directly in front of it, waving her arms and yelling. The graphorn spotted her and ground to a halt, one of its tusks digging a huge scar in the grass. She glanced behind her; the cage bars were large enough for her to leap through at the last second. She touched one on the door; it was magically reinforced, but the space between was clear. She could make it.

Lily watched as the graphorn narrowed its eyes and lowered its head. She backed up, further into the cage, and the animal gave a huge roar that reverberated throughout the stadium, making Lily clap her hands over her ears.

"WE'RE READY!" came a dim shout, and Lily looked around—Amanda and Melanie had made it away from the graphorn, and Amanda was waiting to seal the doors.

Lily jumped up and down, yelling, and the graphorn roared again before it lowered its head and charged, its feet pounding the earth.

"COME ON, COME AND GET ME!" Lily screamed, feeling the pain of her lost wand, the anxiety of everyone about this dreadful tournament, her parents' expressions, their disappointment—she thought wildly of her whole family—Teddy, Victoire, Gran, Granddad, Hugo, Alice—and then, finally, of Lorcan—she would kiss him, the second she walked off this pitch, she decided impulsively—Amanda and Melanie, who had betrayed her, but whom she needed now as much as they needed her—and suddenly, she knew. Suddenly, she was Lily Luna Potter, and she was not one person, but many. She was everyone who cared about her, who needed her, and suddenly, she was quite insignificant in comparison to them.

She would do this for them. She would survive for them, she would protect them, and her own desires were nothing anymore, nothing to those of the people who loved her.

The graphorn was ten seconds away—five—two—she launched herself to her left—she was safe, free, she'd made it—the graphorn tossed its head at the last moment, and suddenly, a wrenching, searing pain tore across her body as she sailed between the bars of the cage. In her peripheral vision she saw and heard the door of the cage slam shut—the crowd was screaming, cheering madly—the graphorn roared—

"LILY!"

Lily landed hard on her back, and immediately tried to gasp for air—to her horror, a metallic-tasting, hot liquid filled her mouth and choked her. Her right arm was numb; she couldn't move it at all. Her eyes widened as the fingers of her left hand reached up to her throat, where they met a great deal of warm stickiness and horrible pain. Suddenly, Amanda's white face appeared over her, catching her hand. She could just hear someone—Melanie, perhaps—shouting for the professors, somewhere very far off. The crowd was cheering...why, why were they cheering, couldn't they see that she'd made a horrible mistake, that she was dying? Couldn't her parents see her, didn't they know?

"Lily!" Amanda screamed, tears pouring down her face. "Lily!"

Lily tried to focus her attention on Amanda's face, but pain was overwhelming her...Amanda's voice was so far away, and everything was so dark, that Lily couldn't help but allow her eyes to close as she slipped into absolute blackness.


	23. Awakening

Chapter Twenty-Three

Awakening

Lily's eyes were very heavy, and her head pounded. Muffled conversation echoed in her brain. Pain burned throughout her body, and she couldn't move. A white-hot line of sharp, stabbing pain extended from just below her left ear, across her throat and down onto her right collarbone and shoulder. She was immobilized by several pillows that held her in such a way that she couldn't move her head in any direction, not that she wanted to.

Slowly, Lily opened her eyes. A lamp near her head was much too bright. She realized as she looked up at the ceiling that it had to be late at night, and she was in the hospital wing at Hogwarts. There were screens all round her bed. Trying not to move her neck, which was still burning badly, Lily looked down. Thick white bandages wrapped tightly around her right shoulder and disappeared into the pajamas she had been dressed in.

Lily's vision was swimming and she felt very ill. Gingerly, she raised her left hand. The bandages were bound around her ribs, right shoulder, and made a thick layer around her throat as well. Lily closed her eyes and took a very small, slow breath that nonetheless hurt badly. Her shoulder ached deeply; she wondered if it could have been broken.

She was alive. She couldn't believe it. How long had it been since the task had ended? Who had won? Were Melanie and Amanda all right?

Lily remembered casting the Shield Charm with the others, and then ensnaring the graphorn in the glittering golden cage. She remembered the creature charging for them all before they could successfully capture it. And…she had been standing inside the cage…that's when she'd felt that horrible pain—the graphorn's tusk, she remembered…wait…where were Mum and Dad? James…Albus…

Lily tried to speak out, but had the sudden, horrible sensation that a knife was stabbing through her throat. She gave an almost soundless whimper, closing her eyes, and two tears spilled into her hair.

"Miss Potter?" asked a very soft voice from the foot of the bed. Lily opened her eyes to see Madam Pomfrey give her an anxious smile.

"Don't try to talk, dear, your throat's been injured and you've lost a lot of blood," she said, hurrying over to Lily's side and taking her wrist. She took Lily's pulse and checked her temperature, nodding as she pressed her lips together. When she'd finished, Madam Pomfrey looked seriously into Lily's face. "We're going to move you to St. Mungo's now you're awake. I've done all I can to help," she said, her voice breaking slightly. "But you're going to be all right. Don't worry," she added. "Would you like to see your parents before I give you your potion?"

Lily blinked slowly and mouthed the word, "yes." Her vision still had not stopped swimming, but she wanted to see them, to make sure they were there…

"Very well," Madam Pomfrey said gently, walking to the split in the curtains and leaving. She could hear the muffled sound of Madam Pomfrey's voice, not far away.

Lily's heart leapt as she came back through the curtains, leading Mum and Dad to her bedside. Her mother's eyes were very red and watery, and her father's face was set in a very forced smile that Lily was sure he meant only for her benefit. Lily tried to give him a reassuring smile back, though her eyes were very heavy and she was not at all sure she had succeeded. Madam Pomfrey waved her wand twice, and two chairs appeared at either side of the bed. Then the matron left the three of them.

"Hi, sweetheart," Mum said softly, sinking down in the seat on Lily's right and taking her hand carefully. She reached up to smooth back Lily's hair, and Lily smiled at her, giving her mother's fingers a gentle squeeze. It ached in her shoulder, even to move her fingertips.

"Hey, Pixie," said Dad from her left. His voice was full of emotion unlike any other Lily had heard from him before. It almost made her want to cry. She blinked a couple of times and tried to make him know that she was sorry, that she was going to be fine, but she was having a hard time focusing her eyes enough to make her expression readable.

"We're going to St. Mungo's," Mum told her, still stroking Lily's hair. Lily was having a hard time focusing on her mother's face. "Daddy and I will be right here with you, Lily, don't worry."

Lily wanted nothing more than to be able to sit up and hold her mother tight, and she wished she could tell them how glad she was that they were there, and how much she loved them. Everything in her body ached too badly for her to do anything more than wiggle her fingers clutched in Mum's.

"It's time," said Madam Pomfrey, who had reappeared, carrying a smoking goblet. Two wizards in white robes marked with the St. Mungo's emblem stood behind her. "Miss Potter, you'll need to drink this before you go." She brought the goblet over and tipped a small mouthful of its contents into Lily's mouth.

The last thing Lily remembered was the feeling of the potion burning her tongue, as her eyelids grew too heavy to keep open.

* * *

><p>"Harry, Harry—she's waking up," said a hoarse voice that could have been Mum's.<p>

"Whuh?"

Lily felt a corner of her mouth lift and forced her eyes open. It was daytime; the hospital room was brightly lit, but very small. Mum, her hair looking unkempt and her eyes ringed by dark circles, was leaning over Lily.

"Mummy," Lily said, and immediately regretted it as pain exploded in her throat.

"Don't talk, Pix," Dad told her unnecessarily, taking her left hand. Lily closed her eyes, wincing, but slowly the pain faded. She took a slow breath and opened her eyes again. She smiled at Dad, then Mum.

Mum sat down on the mattress at Lily's right hip. Lily noticed that her shoulder and arm on that side were bandaged tightly in a sling atop a pillow. Her head was very heavy on her pillow, and she didn't want to think how much it would hurt if she tried to move it. She looked at Mum, trying to communicate her silent question.

"James and Albus are at work, sweetheart," Mum said soothingly, stroking Lily's forehead. "They just left, they've been worried sick about you. They stayed on the pitch last night to help Hagrid and the teachers...the task was last night. You were hurt," she said, clearly trying not to cry. "Do you remember that?"

Lily blinked sleepily, _Yes_. Then she frowned slightly, trying to ask another question. To her surprise, this time it was her father that understood her first.

He squeezed her hand, looking torn between laughter and tears. "You want to know about the other two girls?" he asked. Lily gave a very weak smile.

Mum laughed and shared a significant look with Dad. "They're going to be all right—I think they're both recovering in the hospital wing at Hogwarts. The Beauxbatons champion had a concussion, I think, but she's fine."

Lily smiled softly. They were all right. Her eyes were growing heavy again, but Dad squeezed her hand. "And the judges made their decision last night," he said. "Lily, you won."

Lily blinked several times, worried that she hadn't heard him correctly. "What?" she mouthed.

"You won, sweetheart," Mum told her, her eyes full of tears and sounding quite as amazed as Lily felt. "You won the tournament." The expression on Lily's face must have been comical, because both Mum and Dad laughed.

"Really, Pix, you did," Dad told her. "Your Aunt Hermione was here this morning, she told us the news. The judges thought you showed the leadership they were looking for in the task, and apparently, the other two girls agreed."

Carefully, Lily pointed to the bandages around her upper body, her expression questioning.

Mum shook her head and patted Lily's leg. "They didn't seem to think that an accident was worthy of disqualification."

Lily frowned disbelievingly and looked away, needing a moment to process this information.

"Lily, we're so proud of you," Dad told her. "You've done something extraordinary."

Lily gave him a small smile. A sudden thought occurred to her, and she tried to look around. It was a dim hope, but…

"What is it, Lil?" Mum asked immediately.

"My wand?" Lily mouthed, frowning again. Her stomach plummeted at the look on Mum's face, and she glanced at her father, who wore an equally grave expression.

Dad reached into his pocket and withdrew an envelope. He smoothed a spot on the blanket and turned the envelope upside down. Out fell at least six pieces of splintered wood, with silvery white hairs protruding from the bits.

Lily's mouth fell open. She wanted to cry. Her wand was truly gone, smashed to pieces. She picked up one of the larger splinters, part of the handle, and stared sadly at it.

"We can get you another one, Lils," Mum said, patting her knee. "I—I'm so sorry, sweetheart. Madam Hooch found the pieces on the pitch after the task."

Lily sighed heavily and dropped the piece back onto the pile, leaning her head back slightly. She winced at a stabbing pain in her neck as she felt Dad's fingers close around her own, and squeezed her eyes shut.

* * *

><p>That afternoon, Lily was dozing lightly in a haze of pain and sleeping potions when she was awoken by the sound of her father's voice.<p>

"Minerva," said Dad in a confused tone.

Lily opened her eyes blearily to see Professor McGonagall leaning on her walking stick in the doorway of her room. She wondered briefly if she was hallucinating. The headmistress nodded at Dad, who was standing to offer her his seat.

"I'm fine, thank you, Harry," she said, moving to the foot of the bed and looking seriously at Lily. "How are you feeling, Miss Potter?" Professor McGonagall asked.

Lily gave her a very faint smile, adjusting her head on the pillow and barely covering a wince. "_Fine_," she mouthed silently.

Professor McGonagall looked confused, but then seemed to notice the bandages around Lily's throat. "Ah, I see," she said, looking suddenly very sad.

"It's not permanent," Mum said quickly, getting up to put an arm around Lily. "She's going to be just fine."

Lily tried to smile, but ended up closing her eyes instead. She had to mentally shake herself awake, and very gingerly straightened up slightly, raising her head.

"Of course," Professor McGonagall said, shaking her head and pressing her thin lips together. She came around the edge of the bed, reaching into her cloak, and withdrew a bag that clinked with a metallic sound. "I've brought your winnings," she said, handing the bag to Mum. Lily smiled sleepily.

"I—" Professor McGonagall looked at Mum and Dad. "I'm sorry, may I have a moment alone with Lily?" she asked.

"Oh," Mum said in surprise. "Okay, of course. Come on, Harry." She placed the bag of money on the table by Lily's bed, looking very nonplussed. "We'll be out here if you need us," she called, leaving the room with Dad. Lily smiled after her.

Professor McGonagall stepped closer to Lily. She took a deep breath and looked at her very seriously. "Miss Potter, I seem to recall having a conversation with you about measuring up to expectations," she said briskly. Lily blinked, feeling herself wake up. "And I seem to recall that you were less than confident that you were ready to take on this challenge over the past year."

Lily looked down.

"I am here to tell you, Lily Potter, that you have far surpassed anything that your teachers and I could have expected from you," Professor McGonagall said, and Lily could just see the traces of a very faint smile on her face—well, if she could trust her rather cloudy senses at the moment. Professor McGonagall continued. "You demonstrated not only bravery, but a kind of selflessness that is difficult to come by. As your headmistress, I am immensely proud. And as a friend, I hope, of your family, I am very, very glad that you are all right."

Lily gave a huge, sleepy smile and blinked back a few tears. Nervously, she extended her good arm towards Professor McGonagall, asking the silent question. Professor McGonagall blinked rapidly several times, nodded, and leaned forward to give Lily a very gentle, if rather stiff embrace.

When Professor McGonagall straightened back up, Lily had a sudden thought. She lifted her eyebrows, trying to catch Professor McGonagall's attention, and pointed at the windowsill on the opposite wall, where her dusty, torn robes were piled.

Professor McGonagall frowned. "Do you need something, Miss Potter?" she asked. Lily just pointed again, and Professor McGonagall went to the window and picked up the robes.

"_Pocket_," Lily mouthed, and Professor McGonagall shook open the robes, searching for the pocket. After a few moments, she withdrew the letter from Mr. Ollivander, and Lily smiled. Mum and Dad walked back into the room, looking nervous.

"Are you all right, sweetheart? What do you need?" Mum asked immediately, hurrying to her side, but Lily again pointed at Professor McGonagall, who was reading the letter with a rather shocked expression on her face.

"What is it?" Dad asked. "Minerva?"

"Your—uh," Professor McGonagall stammered, clearing her throat. "Your daughter has earned a job at Ollivander's wand shop, pending her passing examination grades and an interview."

"What?" asked Mum incredulously. She looked down at Lily, who smiled sleepily at her. "How? I mean—oh—" Mum looked sympathetically at Lily's bandaged throat, as if she had forgotten for a moment that Lily could not answer.

"I…I believe I know," said Professor McGonagall, and Dad and Mum looked at her. "I gave Lily the suggestion to write to Mr. Ollivander, after her exemplary Arithmancy examination. She expressed an interest in wandmaking. Am I correct, Miss Potter?" she asked, and Lily lifted her eyebrows. _Yes_.

"That's brilliant!" Dad said, looking happily at Lily. "Lily, that's wonderful! Wandmaking, that's…that's amazing, I didn't know you were interested in that at all."

Mum, who was sitting on the left side of Lily's bed, put a gentle arm around her, and Lily rested her head against her mother's shoulder, smiling at Dad, who was beaming.

"Miss Potter, this is excellent news," said Professor McGonagall in a brisk voice. She folded up the letter and handed it to Dad. "I am very pleased if I was able to offer you advice, and I will be more than happy to provide a reference for your interview."

Lily smiled wider. "_Thank you_," she mouthed, and Professor McGonagall nodded.

"I believe I've tired you out," she said. "I hope to see you on your feet very soon."

If it had not been very true, Lily would have protested, but as it was, she raised one hand to wave goodbye.

"I'll see you out, Minerva," Mum said, helping Lily to lie back and kissing her forehead. "Sleep, sweetheart, I'll be back."

"Oh—I have been requested to find out what visiting policies are," Professor McGonagall said at the door, looking back in at Mum and Dad. "I'm told there are many anxious Gryffindors and a Ravenclaw or two who are eager to see Lily."

"She'll be out of the critical care ward in a couple of days," said Mum, and Dad nodded as he sat down next to Lily, taking her hand.

"After they move her to the regular ward, they're more than welcome. We'll send a note along. That'll be good, won't it, Pix?" he asked, turning back to Lily. It was too late, though; Lily had already fallen fast asleep.

* * *

><p>So these last few chapters are going to be back on the regular schedule...I'm completely freaking out about changing the updates from the even days of the month to the odd days, don't even get me started. XD hehehe THE GOOD NEWS: you get chapters and a full weekend of my love. And hey! Anybody have Harry Potter prompt lists? Wanna PM them to me? Thank you!<p>

Plus I maybe kinda sorta felt bad I left Lily dying on the Quidditch pitch. See? She's okay.


	24. Visiting Hours

Chapter Twenty-Four

Visiting Hours

"All right, sweetheart, careful," Mum said, helping Lily to sit up in her hospital bed. It was midmorning, two days after Professor McGonagall's visit. Lily's new, much larger room was lit with brilliant midmorning sunlight and filled with flowers and gifts from professors, classmates, and even Madame Maxime and Professor Bishop. Lily was finally out of the critical care ward and being allowed to see visitors (apparently Professor McGonagall's visit had taken some string-pulling on her part). According to Mum, there were several people already waiting to see her.

"Comfy?" her mother asked, tucking a pillow under Lily's bandaged arm, which was in a sling.

Lily rolled her eyes. "Mum," she rasped. Her voice was still mending, and not very strong. She took three different potions for it every few hours, mainly to stop the nasty cough that tended to burn in the back of her throat when she spoke. Her throat, which had been almost entirely slit by the graphorn's tusk, was still bandaged, and the Healers had told her that she would have a large scar.

Her mother only smiled at Lily and planted a kiss on her temple. "Are you ready to see her?" she asked.

"Yeah, I'm all right," Lily told her, settling back so that she didn't have to raise her head far—her neck was still very sore. Mum smoothed back Lily's hair and smiled, striding to the door.

"Harry? She's ready," Mum called, and she stepped back, holding the door open. "Come in, dear," she said, smiling, and a moment later, Amanda Morgan walked in rather nervously. Mum nodded at Lily and left the room to wait in the hall with Mrs. Morgan and Dad.

"Hi, Lily," Amanda said, setting a large potted flower on the windowsill. She looked as though she'd been awake for days, and it was plain that she was feeling guilty about all that had happened with the tournament. She sat down beside Lily's bed. "How are you feeling?" she asked.

Lily smiled. "I'm okay," she said, and Amanda flinched imperceptibly at her rough voice.

"You—you saved my life, Lily," Amanda said. "And you didn't have to, you could've let me go. It—it could've easily been me lying here right now," she added. "Melanie and I could've had much worse than a cut forehead and some bruises."

Lily looked down at her hand, which was clutching the blanket. "None of us could've known what was going to happen," Lily told her, and Amanda shook her head. "I wouldn't have wanted this—" she winced as her voice caught, and blushed furiously, embarrassed. "—I wouldn't have wanted this to happen to either of you."

"You still did it. You didn't even have a wand, and you still knew what to do," Amanda said in amazement. "I owe you my _life_, Lily," she added.

Lily shook her head as best she could. "No, you don't," she insisted, but Amanda didn't seem to hear her. There were a few moments of silence. Then Lily asked, "How's Melanie? Have you seen her?"

"I saw her a few days ago, her parents took her home to see their Healers," Amanda answered. "She told me to say hi, and she's going to send you a note soon. Between you and me," she added, leaning towards Lily, "I think she's a little embarrassed."

Lily chuckled slightly. "She'll be fine."

Amanda grinned and nodded. "Anyway, we're going to meet up with my dad today, and then we're all going home tonight," she said. "But I just wanted to say...I dunno...thanks. I know you think it was an accident, but it was really brave of you to do everything you did for us. I know Melanie feels the same way. We tied for second," she added. "We both told them that you should get the cup. I—I hope that kind of makes up for—for everything. I'm not normally this...competitive."

Lily smiled and reached out her good hand. "Thanks," she said, squeezing Amanda's fingers. "I hope we can keep up," she added, and Amanda nodded.

"My address is already in the card," Amanda said with a laugh, nodding to the flowers she'd brought. "Write anytime." Lily smiled.

"May we come in?" asked Mrs. Morgan as she followed Mum into the room. She smiled kindly at Lily as she limped over to place her arm around Amanda, who stood. "You were really very brave, Lily," she said softly.

"Thanks, Mrs. Morgan," Lily rasped, and Amanda's mother stared at her for a moment.

"Call me Cho, dear," she said, and she bent awkwardly over Lily, giving her a one-armed hug. Lily looked to her mother over Cho's shoulder; Mum nodded at Lily encouragingly. Lily smiled and patted Cho's back before she straightened, smiling down at her.

Lily paused for a moment, hoping she wasn't about to ruin everything. "You knew Cedric Diggory, didn't you?" she asked Cho. She'd wondered about it for a while, and had imagined it as the only logical explanation for Aunt Hermione's anxiety about Amanda's participation in the tournament. Cho stared for a moment, surprised. Then she nodded, and Amanda looked up at her mother, squeezing her hand supportively.

"I'm sorry," Lily told her.

Cho gave a sad little laugh, nodding. "Well, thank you, dear, but that was a very long time ago," she said, sighing and rubbing Amanda's shoulder with an odd smile on her face. Lily nodded slightly. "I'm just glad that all three of you are going to be all right," said Cho earnestly, and Lily smiled. "That's much more important."

"I've got a few people here demanding to see Lily Potter," said Dad, poking his head through the doorway. "You ladies wouldn't know who that is, would you?"

"LILY!"

Two extremely loud diversions came pushing past Dad, and Lily smiled hugely. James practically leapt into the room, Albus on his heels.

"Oh, James, _don't_, she's not well—"

James didn't seem to hear his mother, and scooped Lily up in a massive embrace. Her injury gave a small throb of pain, but thanks to the pain potions, Lily didn't mind in the slightest—and how could she? It felt like ages since she'd last seen her brothers. Still wrapped in James's arms, she reached for Albus on her other side, and felt tears come to her eyes as she hugged him tightly. Lily sniffled slightly, hanging tight to both of them.

"Aw, you can't have missed us that bad, Lil," Albus said, sitting down at Lily's hip and helping her lie back onto her pillows again. Lily put her hand to her throat, nodding as happy tears slid down her cheeks. "You were totally out the last time we were here."

"I think that may be our cue to leave," said Cho laughingly to Mum and Dad. Lily was being positively barraged with attention from her brothers. "Let us know when Lily's feeling better, all right?" she asked, giving them both a quick hug.

"Bye, Lily!" Amanda called, smiling and waving, and Lily beamed back at her as she and her mother left the room.

"You know, I think that color suits you, Lily," James said thoughtfully, diverting her attention. "What d'you think, Al?"

"White as a sheet," Albus said, hand on his chin. "It works for you," he told Lily, and she rolled her eyes.

Dad shook his head, as he and Mum moved some of the many flower arrangements from the table to the windowsill. "Knock it off, you two," he told them. "Leave my favorite alone." He winked at Lily, and Mum bumped him in the shoulder with a reproachful look.

"Favorites! Albus, catch me," James said, pretending to swoon in horror at the very idea. Lily laughed silently, relaxing back against her pillows.

"Lily!"

Standing in the doorway, beaming, were Alice, Hugo, and—Lily's heart skipped a beat—Lorcan. All of them were carrying boxes of treats and what looked like the latest range of Weasley's Wizard Wheezes products.

"Oh, yeah, we found these three on our way in, they _claim_ they know the Triwizard champion," Albus said skeptically. "I can throw them out if you like."

Lily rolled her eyes. Mum and Dad, who were standing in the corner, smiled as Alice rushed in, followed by the boys, who set their parcels on the little bit of free space still left on the windowsill.

"We'll just be outside, Lily—James, Al," said Dad over the chatter, and Lily smiled at him. "Be good," he said warningly, and James put on his best expression of disappointment as Mum and Dad left the room.

"How are you?" Alice asked immediately, giving Lily a brief hug before pulling back to examine her features. "We've all been so worried."

"Fine," Lily promised, squeezing her hand.

"Oh, Lily," said Alice, putting a hand over her mouth. "Your voice…"

"It'll get better," James said, smiling reassuringly at his sister. "She'll be recording with Dragonsblood by next month."

Everyone laughed, and Lily, coughing slightly and wincing, reached up her good arm to hug Hugo. Alice waved her wand and three extra chairs appeared. Lorcan moved to sit down farthest from Lily, but Hugo grabbed him.

"Here, Lorcan, you sit here," he said, taking the end seat for himself and shoving Lorcan nearest to Lily's head.

Lily grinned. "Come here," she said, holding out her arm for a hug, which Lorcan returned warmly. Lily closed her eyes, feeling suddenly more peaceful and relaxed than she had been in almost a week.

"It's really good to see you," Lorcan said, sitting down and smiling. "You look great."

Lily snorted, but smiled at him. "Thanks," she rasped. "It's a new look I'm trying."

"You look okay to me," Lorcan answered, and Lily blushed.

"Well, I think I know when we aren't wanted," said James suddenly, and Lily blushed even brighter pink. She took Lorcan's hand, though, and for the rest of the morning, she did not let go.

Alice and Hugo told Lily how all of Gryffindor House—and much of the rest of the school—had been in an uproar over the third task and the fate of their champion. Lily had been the topic of news all week long, overshadowing even the departures of the other schools.

James and Albus then created a distraction with some of the weirder new products from Uncle George's shop, which created a miniature, non-destructive fireworks display—in retrospect, Lily suspected that her father, who was sitting out in the hallway with Mum, might have employed his Muffling Charm on the door, just to be sure they weren't overhead.

After almost an hour and a half, Alice, Hugo, and Lorcan had to leave; they'd only gotten permission to leave school for a few hours.

"I'll be back on Friday with the family, though, as soon as classes are over," Hugo promised, standing up, and Lily smiled faintly. She was getting very tired, and her pain potions were wearing off. What little voice she had was nearly gone. She hadn't realized it, but she'd been holding onto Lorcan's fingers very tightly every time her throat ached, or her shoulder burned. He didn't seem to mind.

"Bye, Huey," trilled James, and Hugo made a rude gesture that would have gotten him a nasty jinx had Aunt Hermione been present.

Lily squeezed Lorcan's hand, and gave Alice a significant look.

"All right, Hugo, let's go," Alice said loudly. "I'll see you soon," she said to Lily, giving her a gentle hug that nonetheless made her wince. Lily smiled forgivingly at Alice. "Bye, Lils," Alice said, patting Lily's head before she turned, seized Hugo by the shoulders, and went to the door.

Lorcan stood, but Lily tugged his hand and shook her head slightly.

"Were you two going to come and say goodbye?" Alice asked from the doorway.

"No," James said, kicking his feet up on Lily's bed and opening a Chocolate Frog. Albus, however, was looking between Lily and Lorcan, and whacked his brother's feet.

"Come on, you git, four's a crowd," he said.

"Ow, what was—" James looked at Lily, who was staring daggers at him. "_Oh_," he said delicately, an evil smile creeping onto his face, and Lily glared at him. "We'll be back, Lily," he said in a singsong voice, and Albus followed him out, shaking his head.

Lorcan grinned after them, sitting down again. "What's up?" he asked, smiling at her.

"I just wanted to say goodbye," Lily said hoarsely, but her voice caught and her hand flew to her throat as her eyes watered.

Lorcan winced and leaned a bit closer, laying a hand on the blankets covering her knee. "Okay," he said gently. "Okay, it's all right..."

Lily blinked rapidly. "Sorry," she rasped. "I'm fine."

"Yeah?" asked Lorcan, smiling and taking her hand. "You look pretty good for someone who just went one-on-one with a graphorn. I meant that." Lily rolled her eyes and beamed at him. She squeezed his hand, and he smiled gently. They were both silent for a few moments, and Lily found herself fighting to stay awake as she stared at their interlocked fingers, trying to find a way to tell him how she felt...

"Lily," Lorcan said finally, and Lily met his eyes, hopeful. He drew a deep breath. "When you—er—when you're feeling better," he said uncomfortably, "Would you like to maybe—I dunno…go out…and…eat…or something?"

Lily grinned. "Yes," she said, with as much voice as she could muster. "Any time. I'll meet you the second I'm out of here, if you want."

"Really?" Lorcan asked incredulously, and Lily almost laughed. She nodded slightly. Lorcan looked thrilled. He jumped to his feet. "Er—d'you—I mean, can I—" he stuttered to a halt, standing over her and looking torn.

Lily was momentarily shocked, but then she smiled widely. and adjusted herself so that she was looking directly up at Lorcan.

Very slowly and carefully, he bent over her, drawing closer, and Lily closed her eyes as their lips met. It was the best first kiss with Lorcan that Lily could ever have imagined. She reached up her good hand and ran her fingers through his soft blonde hair, as he put one hand to the top of her head. When they broke apart, Lily relaxed, smiling dazedly up at him. Lorcan took her fingers.

"I'll see you soon," he said, and Lily grinned.

When Mum, Dad, James, and Al returned with a Healer after Lorcan had left, Lily was still smiling. She took the pain potions that the Healer brought, and didn't even have to feign sleep by the time her brothers got around to teasing her; she was asleep before Mum had even finished helping her lie down.

* * *

><p>By Friday afternoon, the last day of classes at Hogwarts, Lily had much of her stamina and strength back; her right shoulder, which had been largely torn open, was to remain in its sling until more remedial spells could be performed, but overall, she was feeling much better. Her voice was still raspy and barely there; James and Albus spent a lot of their visiting time assuring Lily that she would make a lovely addition to an all-male goblin choir.<p>

Her wound was now unbandaged and healing into a thick white scar with the regular application of a rather strong-smelling paste, which the Healers kept bringing in a constant supply, but which had the unfortunate effect of making Lily very drowsy with its overpowering fumes; she'd even caught Dad snoring after she'd received a dose.

On Friday, James and Al arrived shortly after she woke up.

"Oh, let's see, what's it look like without the bandages?" James asked, gently pulling Lily's fingers away so he could examine her scar. He raised his eyebrows, looking very impressed. "Not bad, Lil!"

Lily laughed quietly. "Now who looks like Dad?" she whispered, reaching up to tousle James' black hair. Dad laughed.

Sometime in the early afternoon, Lily was sitting up against a large stack of pillows in her bed, playing Albus and James in a game of Exploding Snap atop a St. Mungo's meal tray, which her brothers had apparently 'commandeered.'

"She's only got one good hand," James complained to Albus. He glowered at Lily suspiciously. "How are you winning?"

Lily stuck her tongue out at him. "I'm amazing," she told him hoarsely, as the cards began to spark and hiss.

"Behave," Dad said from his chair in the corner, turning a page of the _Daily Prophet_.

"Where's Mum?" asked Lily, as Albus collected the cards.

Dad checked his watch. "Probably meeting everyone in the lobby," he said. "That Welcome Witch has her hands full as it is."

"Not to mention we're definitely not allowed to have all these people up here," Albus put in, and Lily snorted. Dad had been making arrangements with the hospital for the Weasleys to visit for two days.

"Here we are!" said Mum's voice from the hallway, and Lily sat up a bit, excited, as James and Al scrambled to hide the tray. Dad jumped up, waving his wand, and half a dozen chairs appeared, cluttered around the bed.

"Is this where the party is?" Uncle Ron asked, walking in with Aunt Hermione, Rose, and Hugo. Lily beamed at them as they each took it in turns to give her a hug and a kiss.

"Happy birthday," Lily said to Rose as they embraced. "Sorry I missed it," she said.

Rose laughed. "Don't worry about it. I hear things have been a little busy," she said, patting her back. Hugo had picked up one of Lily's Chocolate Frogs and seated himself beside her on her bed.

Before long, Mum brought Gran and Granddad, with Uncle Percy, Aunt Audrey, Molly and Lucy, who all fussed over her. Gran's eyes were full of tears.

"Oh, Lily!" Gran cried happily, taking her into a gentle, but warm embrace. Her eyes lingered sadly for a moment on the scar across Lily's throat, but she quickly kissed her cheeks and smiled. "I've made you something special, sweetheart, to take home—" she reached into her handbag and pulled out a large, homemade blanket in Gryffindor colors, embroidered on one corner with Lily's initials.

Lily smiled and kissed her grandmother, who smiled back and patted her cheek. Lily laid back again as Gran draped the blanket over her.

"Thanks, Gran," Lily said hoarsely, fingering the red yarn. "It's really beautiful."

"Good to see you, sweet pea," Granddad said, leaning over to kiss Lily's hair.

"Hi, Granddad," Lily said scratchily, squeezing him tightly with her good arm. As she kissed Uncle Percy on the cheek and was hugged by Aunt Audrey, Molly and Lucy climbed on the end of the bed.

"So how does it feel, Lily?" Lucy asked. "You won the tournament!"

Lily smiled at her. "It's pretty cool," she whispered. "I still can't believe it, but Mum and Dad say I'm not on the Sleeping Potions anymore, so…"

"You'd better believe it," chimed a voice from the doorway. Roxy stood before Aunt Angelina, Uncle George, and Fred. "You earned that stupid cup." She smiled widely at Lily before hurrying to give her a hug.

Aunt Angelina shook her head, smiling. "We're so proud of you," she said, coming over to kiss Lily. "We knew you could do it." Over her shoulder, Uncle George winked.

"Thanks," Lily rasped.

Roxy grinned. "That's a lovely new singing voice you've got," she teased. Aunt Angelina swatted her.

"Reckon I'm still a better singer than you," Lily said seriously. Everyone laughed and Lily began to cough.

Albus got up and offered Lily a glass of water from the jug by her bed.

"Thanks," Lily whispered, taking the glass. At that moment, Uncle Bill, Aunt Fleur, Uncle Charlie, Louis and Dominique arrived. The room was getting incredibly crowded, but Lily was absolutely loving it. Mum helped her sit up a little straighter and she crossed her legs to make room for Lucy, Molly, and Roxy to sit on the bed at her feet as everyone laughed and chatted.

"All right, Lily, we hear you've got a good one," Uncle George called from the windowsill, a grin on his face. Uncle Bill, Granddad, Uncle Charlie, Dad, and Uncle Ron were all gathered around him, smiling at her. "Let's see it!"

"What?" Lily asked, laughing hoarsely.

"Time to show off the war wounds, Lil," Hugo said, stretching his legs out on top of Roxy, who glared at him.

Lily smiled, blushing a bit. She put one hand up to her hospital gown collar and tugged it down to expose the thickest part of her scar, beginning under her left ear and continuing across her throat before disappearing into the right side of her collar. Uncle George leaned forward and examined it, whistling.

"That's a good one, all right," he said in a reverent tone. Dad elbowed him, and Lily smiled, blushing a bit. Uncle George sat back and looked seriously up at the others. "Well, I think she's earned it," he told them.

Uncle Bill raised one eyebrow shrewdly. "I dunno, Georgie," he said slowly, scrutinizing Lily closely. Granddad beamed at her.

"Yeah, I'm not convinced," Uncle Ron added, his expression grave.

"Hey, if we can let Harry in," Uncle Charlie said, "and half his scars were ancient history—"

"What are you all talking about?" Mum demanded from the foot of Lily's bed, laughing.

"Your call, Holey One," Uncle Charlie said, nodding to George and winking at Lily. Uncle George seemed to seriously consider something for a moment, and nodded. He addressed Lily.

"As the so-called—"

"Self-titled," interrupted Uncle Ron, earning a reproving glare from Uncle George.

"As the Weasley Family Holey Man," he called loudly, to a chorus of groans and snickers, "It's my pleasure to offer you your official membership in the Weasley-Potter Family Club for People with Really Wicked Scars."

If Lily had had more of a voice, she would have been hysterical with laughter like everyone else. Instead, she giggled hoarsely, coughed, and had to take another sip of water before she could speak.

"I accept!" she managed before her voice gave out again, giving Uncle George a mock salute. Dad, Uncle Bill, Uncle Charlie, Uncle Ron, and Granddad all laughed.

"Such a touching family moment," Gran said, shaking her head, but smiling.

"I think we need a picture, for Roxy, Hugo and Lily's last year at Hogwarts!" Granddad called, reaching into his robes and withdrawing a small black box. He tapped it once with his wand, and the box unfolded into a large, old-fashioned camera.

Aunt Angelina took it from him, as she was closest to the foot of the bed. "Everyone gather around Lily, then—yeah, Gin, you there, by Lily—Dominique, behind her with your brother—Roxanne Weasley, a nice smile or I ground you, your choice—James, Fred, knock it off and look at the camera, _honestly_, you're twenty-two years old—Harry and Ron, stop egging them on, for _goodness'_ sake—make room for me, George—perfect, Rosie, Hermione—"

She drew her wand and pointed it at the camera, levitating it while she hurried to her spot between Hermione and George.

"Are we late?" A very pregnant Victoire rushed into the room, Teddy trailing from her fingers. "Sorry, sorry everyone! We're here!"

"Get in the picture," Granddad said. Lily waved them over, and they squeezed in near her head by Uncle Percy and Aunt Fleur. Victoire, beaming, gave her a quick kiss on the top of her head, and Lily smiled. She looked up at Teddy, who grinned at her.

"Hi," she whispered, and Teddy squeezed her uninjured shoulder.

"Hey, Pixie," he said, and Lily beamed.

"Everyone say butterbeer!" Uncle George called.

"Butterbeer!"

Lily slipped her uninjured arm around Hugo at the last minute, and smiled into the camera.

"Wonderful!" Gran said, once it had flashed, and as Lily looked around at her entire madly laughing family, she couldn't help but agree.


	25. The Scar

Chapter Twenty-Five

The Scar

Lily, her arm still in a sling but her voice getting stronger (though it seemed to have taken on a permanently raspy, lower tone), was finally healthy enough to leave St. Mungo's four days later. She had missed the end of her last year at Hogwarts, much to her chagrin. But she had the promise of an end-of-the-year party at the Burrow that Saturday (at Gran's insistence), to which many of her fellow Gryffindors were invited—as well as a certain Ravenclaw.

After an endless battery of examinations and poking and prodding from the Healers, Lily and her parents arrived home safely. Dad helped Lily up the stairs to her bedroom, where she immediately moved to sit cross-legged on her own bed, sighing in relief as she stretched her good arm. Her faded, fraying patchwork quilt, a project that she and Gran had worked on together when she was six or so, still covered the bed.

Everything in the little yellow room was exactly as Lily had left it in August, which felt like a thousand years ago. It even smelled exactly the same. Her school trunk stood on its end near the doorway; she had to remember to thank Alice for packing it up.

A small, stuffed snowy owl named Ben, Lily's best friend all throughout childhood, sat on the pillow beside her, and Lily pulled the toy into a tight, one-armed squeeze, burying her nose against his worn, fuzzy head.

As she did so, Lily's fingers brushed the scar on her throat. She had seen it for herself for the first time only three days ago and it had been quite a shock. She had avoided looking too long in the bathroom mirror at the hospital for the rest of her stay, for she was very startled and rather upset. The wound was jagged, ugly, and made a very prominent line that would always show, no matter what kind of robes—or even Muggle clothing—she wore. It traced from just below her left ear all the way across her throat, down her right collarbone, and though Lily had only glimpsed her arm while her bandages were being changed, she could see that the scars and healing wounds covered a great deal of her upper arm, shoulder, and even over to her shoulder blade.

Lily had laughed with her uncles about their club, but…she rubbed two fingers of her left hand against the raised mark across her throat, staring into space.

"Calliope's at Aunt Hermione and Uncle Ron's, by the way," Dad said. "Hugo said he'd take care of her until Saturday." He turned around, watching her. Lily glanced up, coming out of her reverie, and smiled. Dad narrowed his eyes for a moment, watching her. Then he sat down beside her, his back to her headboard. Lily leaned against his chest and sighed.

"You know," Dad said after a minute, gently putting his arms around her so that he didn't hurt her shoulder, "I got lucky."

"Lucky?" Lily rasped, and she cleared her throat, wincing involuntarily.

Dad nodded. "My scar—the one everyone sees, that is—I've had it for longer than I can remember," he said, touching a hand to his forehead. "It's the only way people have ever known me. I never had to get used to having it be out there, in plain sight, because it's always been a part of me."

"What?" asked Lily.

Dad sighed. "Scars are like…little pieces of experience. Sometimes, we have to trade in a part of ourselves in order to become bigger than what we were." He flexed his right hand in front of Lily's face, and she reached out her finger to gently trace the thin white lines that spelled _I must not tell lies_. "And sometimes, trading in that piece means we have to be brave, and show what we've learned despite our own fears."

Lily sat up and faced him, tears in her eyes. Dad put out one hand and stroked Lily's hair. His fingers touched part of the scar below her jaw, and she blinked, her tears spilling over.

"You can be brave, sweetheart," he said. "I know you can. Do you know how I know?"

Lily wiped her cheeks. "Because I'm your daughter," she said, her voice barely audible with emotion.

Dad smiled, but shook his head. "I've got nothing to do with it, Pixie. I know you're brave all on your own, because I saw you face a charging graphorn without a single ounce of fear on your face," he said. "And I watched you go through something that I still struggle with thirty years later."

Lily shook her head. "That's different—"

"I'm not talking about what happened afterward," Dad told her gently. Lily frowned, confused. "The Triwizard Tournament—that _one_ year at school, forget everything that came after—it changed everything about me, Lily," he said. "It was one of the hardest experiences of my life. You've faced something that most wizards would never even dream of being able to do. _That's_ how I know you can be brave."

Lily took a deep breath and nodded, putting her hand to her throat. "Okay," she said. "Okay."

Dad stood up and kissed the top of her head. Then he straightened, looking thoughtful. "Well, _and _you're your mum's daughter. I'll give you that."

Lily laughed reluctantly as Mum pushed the door open, carrying a bag of her things from the hospital. "How's it going?" she asked gently, setting down the bag and coming over to kiss the top of Lily's head.

"I'm fine," Lily told her, smiling a bit.

Mum nodded knowingly and patted her hair. "Well, I've got something for you, Pix," she said. Lily frowned as Mum pulled an envelope from her pocket. "This arrived for you this morning."

Lily took the envelope and pulled it open with her good hand, still frowning. The note was very brief, written in violet ink with a very familiar neat hand.

_Dear Miss Potter,_

_I was terribly sorry to hear of your oak wand's destruction; I know that a wand is not an easy thing to lose. Your mother sent me the pieces, and I am sorry to say that it was beyond magical repair._

Lily's heart clenched. Seeing the pieces of her wand, shattered and broken, she had known that it was probably going to be impossible to fix, but it hurt to have the fact written out before her eyes in Mr. Ollivander's neat script.

_Your mother also mentioned that you are still interested in applying for a job in our shop; it would be my pleasure to grant you an interview, whenever you are feeling well enough. However, I do require that all my employees have wands. After all, you can imagine the position I would be in if, as a wandmaker, my employees did not carry my wands. I was examining my stores and found this piece quite by accident. It is ten and a quarter inches, made of vine with a phoenix feather core. Though it is quite different from your old wand, it seemed to have a certain harmony with the pieces I held in my hand (which I have also included in the parcel). I have reason to believe that this new wand will suit you nicely. Do come by the store when you're up to it—we can arrange your interview, and I should like to know if the wand is a match; I could be very woefully wrong. I wish you a speedy recovery and the best of luck._

_Yours,_

_Garrick Ollivander II_

_Ollivander's Wands_

_Since 382 BC_

Lily gaped at the note.

"This came with it," Dad told her, and he turned to Lily's desk, picking up a wrapped package. He pulled off the brown paper for her, revealing a faded purple box, which he held out to Lily.

Mum beamed as Lily took the box. Carefully, she lifted the lid. There was a tiny drawstring bag, which Lily picked up. She could feel the pieces of her oak wand inside, and set the bag on her end table, looking at it rather sadly before turning back to the box. On a small pad of gray silk sat a pale, polished wand with a dark handle. Lily looked up at her parents. "Should I—?"

"Try it out," Dad told her. Mum, who had started unpacking Lily's case at the foot of her bed, nodded.

Nervously, Lily reached out for the handle. The second the wand touched her fingers, her body tingled, spreading from her neck, down her back, and all through her arms. She gave the wand a tentative flick, and a bright blue ribbon spiraled from the end, evaporating into mist before her eyes. Lily smiled.

"It's wonderful," she said softly.

"What's it made of?" Mum asked, coming over to pick up the note from Mr. Ollivander.

Lily stole a look at her father. "Vine. Vine and—and phoenix feather," she said. Dad's face went blank for a moment before a smile spread across his face. He winked at Lily, and she grinned.

"It's beautiful," said Mum, leaning over to kiss Lily's hair. She took the box from Lily's lap and laid it on the bedside table, and Lily placed the wand in it.

Then she noticed a carved wooden picture frame sitting on the table as well. "What's that?" Lily asked, reaching for it.

"Oh—Granddad developed this for you." Mum picked up the frame and handed it to her. Dad smiled.

It was the photo they had all taken in Lily's hospital room. Everyone was gathered close around her, laughing and waving furiously at the camera. Something about seeing all of their smiling faces made Lily's chin tremble. Her throat ached sharply as tears filled her eyes.

Mum gently stroked her hair, sitting down beside her. "It's a great picture," she said quietly, tilting her head against Lily's shoulder. Lily nodded quickly, as Mum kissed her cheek. She raised her wand and flicked it. Out of the suitcase came the blanket Gran had made, and it landed in Lily's lap.

"Let's let you get some rest, hm?" Mum asked quietly. Lily looked up at her, wiping tears from her cheeks with her free hand. "James and Al will be here for dinner soon," Mum told her. "I'll come and wake you."

"Thanks," Lily said, her throat aching—not from her injury, for once. "I love you," she told them, looking between her parents.

"Us too, Pix," Dad said, taking the photo to place on Lily's nightstand. "Get some sleep."

Lily laid back and smiled as her parents left the room, tugging her blanket about her. Feeling rather tired, she turned onto her uninjured left side so she could still see the photograph and her wand in its violet box. A phoenix feather core—Lily could have exploded with happiness. As a little girl, she had adored her father's wand, and had ached for a phoenix wand of her own when she turned eleven. Well, it had been a long time coming, but…there it was.

She thought about this past year; so many things had changed. She had been through what felt like a lifetime. Unbidden, one of her panic-stricken thoughts from the third task swirled to the surface of her mind. _I am Lily Luna Potter_, she told herself. _I can survive anything_.

Lily adjusted herself into a more comfortable position, her eyelids growing heavy as she looked at the picture in its frame. Twenty-four cramped, smiling faces beamed at her. Was it really such a bad thing to feel overshadowed from time to time? Especially when the people who overshadowed you were the greatest people you had ever known?

Lily smiled to herself, gazing at her picture. Behind her photographic self, Aunt Fleur was kissing the top of her head as Uncle Bill and Uncle Charlie grinned. Teddy had his arms about Victoire, both of them beaming. Dom, Rose, Louis, James, Fred, and Al all stood in a row to Lily's left, making faces and bumping into each other. Aunt Audrey and Uncle Percy sat before them, waving and laughing. Gran was seated by the bed on her right, clutching Lily's hand on one side and Granddad's on the other, and behind them were Mum, Dad, Uncle Ron, Uncle George, Aunt Hermione, Aunt Angelina, and Molly, who had her arm around Lucy as both of them leaned close to Gran.

And, in the very, very center of all this chaotic affection and happiness, Lily could just make out her own face, nestled tightly between Roxy and Hugo, who were both hugging her tightly, lying on the bed on her either side. Suddenly, like an electric shock, realization struck.

Lily touched one hand to the scar on her throat, feeling her tears spill over. She fit perfectly.

* * *

><p>That's it, everybody. Thanks for the memories :) And for coming along on the ride. I may randomly decide to post a follow-up to this...don't know, I've had a few requests, but we'll see! :) Love you all! Thank you, thank you, thank you for reading!<p>

Lucy


End file.
